On any given weeknight, throngs of students can be found crowded around bulky desk cubicles in the basement of the library during study hours, working away alongside dusty microfilm readers. To provide students with a more functional and comfortable study space, the Oliver Wendell Holmes Library (OWHL) will replace the tables and desk cubicles in the basement this summer. The interior redesign and renovation of the basement will finish by the fall 2014 and will include new and more flexible furniture that can be rearranged to accommodate productive individual and collaborative study habits, according to Elisabeth Tully, Director of the OWHL. The index tables, which have a second shelf originally intended to hold reference materials before the existence of computers, will be replaced with smaller tables for four, similar to those currently in the Dole Room. “The downstairs is furnished with long index tables, used before electronic indexing was used, but they are no longer required for their original purpose and do not make the best place to study,” said Tully. The tables that occupy the space directly at the bottom of the basement stairs will be replaced by larger, softer chairs like those in the Freeman Reading Room. Whiteboards, stand up tables for collaborative work and other accessories will also be added to the library space in order to aid student productivity. The cubicles that line the walls of the basement will be replaced by new ones chosen by students. “We are seeking student input so that we can offer kids what they want. We want the library, especially downstairs, to be an inviting place where students feel comfortable to study,” said Tully. The librarians designed a bulletin board to the right of the circulation desk where students can write their opinions and vote on possible designs for the desks, cubicles and chairs. “I’m glad the library has given students the opportunity to choose what furniture will be added as part of the renovation,” said Cem Vardar ’15, “They’re truly giving us what we want.” Tully said, “Student’s habits have changed, so we want to change to library to accommodate students.” This renovation is part of the ongoing process to systematically update different areas of the library over the course of several years, according to Tully. “We want to furnish the library with flexible furniture that can be useful for many different purposes as well as into the future. We don’t want to have to buy new furniture again in a few months to accommodate a different purpose,” said Tully. Many students have expressed positive feedback that the library is continuing to rejuvenate its facilities through renovation and modernization, according to Tully. “I’m thrilled to see that Andover cares about its students and that it caters its facilities to student desires,” said Claire Tao ’16. Funding for this project will be provided to the library at the start of the next budget cycle on January 1. The OWHL was built in 1929 and was designed by Charles Platt. The library undergoes continuous maintenance on a regular basis. Since its construction, however, there have been two major renovations. In 1959, the library upgraded the west wing, facing the Great Lawn and in 1988, the east addition facing Pearson Hall was built, according to Larry Muench, Director of Facilities.
