No Pain, No Shain: The Hunt for a new study space

New London Hall, traditionally a favorite for those looking for a more off-beat location to study, has become one of the hottest study spaces on campus. Now with the library off-limits because of its renovation “New Lo,” as it is popularly referred to in college jargon, has become a hub of activity, much to the chagrin of veterans of the place, who have long enjoyed the modern façade and general quiet of the academic building. A newly made friend, who I have frequently seen at New Lo from last semester, relates to me how difficult it has become to catch spots in the building since the semester began. He jokes, how he wish he could put up a placard to reserve a desk for himself.

I was keen to get a more varied view of the situation,   from the first years. I met a group of them on the third floor of New London Hall and asked them how it feels to not have a fully functioning library. One of them talked about how he especially loves New London Hall for studying and how he cannot really talk about the library, since he has never experienced having one on campus. Another talked about the difficulty of studying in his room or most of the dorms on Thursday and Saturday nights. They were unanimous that, to put it mildly, it is not ideal, or, to put it more bluntly as one of them said, “it kinda sucks.”

The functions of the library have been spread all across campus, so that now the Neff Computer Lab and the IT Service Desk are in the Plex, and the reference desk is in Blaustein. Blaustein has been billed by the college as the next best thing, an alternate of sorts, to Shain for the year. Desks have been lined up along the hallway of the first floor of the building. The college has allocated the classrooms on the floors above as perfect substitutes for the quiet rooms on second and third floors of the library. And yes, the very basic functions of the library are fulfilled. Books on reserve are accessed with the same ease as before, and interlibrary loan and other such services that the library offers appear to be running pretty smoothly. The printers continue to operate with as much ease or as much difficulty (depending on how it works for you) as they did earlier.

Blaustein however is not quite the perfect substitute for Shain. Students sitting at the desks on the first floor complain of the constant stream of people through outthe day at this usually bustling building. This can be a minor disturbance for some, but a breaking point for others. Most of the classrooms in the building are virtually inaccessible for class hours during the weekdays. This contrasts the library, which was a quiet getaway for study at any time of the day or the week.

Students express a variety of opinions on the renovation. A good friend of mine, though unhappy about the current status of finding a proper spot to study, expressed a hopeful note. He talked about the lack of seats in the library last year-a problem that would get especially acute during finals period, as well as the lack of lighting and internet reception in some places. He is especially excited to see what Shain library will finally look like once the renovation is complete.

For those who studied best on the quiet third floor of the library, finding an equally attractive alternative on campus can be a challenge. One such friend said that he would rather have a library for all four years of his education here, with all of its apparent flaws, rather than a year without a proper library. His new favorite study spot on campus is the Chapel Library, with which he is generally satisfied, except when it gets crowded with people chatting amongst themselves, something that would never happen on the third floor of Shain.

Those living in close proximity to the Shain construction site complain about the noise generated by the construction work, which often wakes them up in the mornings. There are also students who consider the entire library renovation superficial and unnecessary, expressing their satisfaction with the library the way it was.

The renovation is, however, also encouraging people to search for creative solutions to the lack of study space. A friend of mine has been spending a lot of time studying at the Hillel House, the newest building on campus. When I asked her how she feels about studying there, she was enthusiastic. The Hillel House has a very homely feel with its kitchen and other such rooms. It reminds her of her high school days when she would study at home. This porovides a contrast to what she considers the impersonal feel of a big library or dorm room.

One thing is certain-the library renovation is having a toll on the study lives of at least some students. The college has come up with a catchy slogan to convince us about the necessity of the library renovation-“No Pain No Shain”. Some agree, others not so much and others still not at all. The tragedy is that seniors this year will never experience a renovated Shain library, a feeling put most succinctly by a Facebook comment I came across “Only Pain No Shain”. Time will tell whether the trouble of not having a library for an entire academic year is worth a rebuilt and supposedly modernized Shain Library. •