Folks walking through the O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library this week noticed some unusual clamor in the first floor reference room.  We’ve been rearranging the reference collection, withdrawing some older works, moving some to the stacks, and consolidating the collection into fewer shelves.

All of this activity is to make room for the new, improved Media Resources Collection, soon to be installed on the north end of the reference room.

Library Director Dan Gjelten explains:

The UST Libraries’ media collection was moved to the first floor two years ago with two major goals:

• to better feature our excellent video content and make this collection more easily accessible by our users (it was previously located on the third floor of the library). 
• to take advantage of the proximity to staff already working on the first floor (achieving efficiencies in our staff workflow is a constant goal for the Libraries).

The move to the first floor achieved those goals very well, and we  decided to take the next step and give the collection a more functional and attractive space than it has had behind the circulation desk.

We are installing a 9 foot high glass partition that will run across the north end of the reference room to hold the relocated collection. The glass wall will highlight the wonderful natural light in that room and provide a beautiful, convenient space for users of the media collection. 

This location is suitable because much of the print reference collection has been supplemented by online subject encyclopedias and other reference content, so it could be reduced in size.  The first floor will continue to have plenty of space for students to study, for the new books and leisure reading area, and of course, the coffee shop at the south end of the room. This is not a permanent or structural change to the room and requires no adaptation of the HVAC system.

It is a high priority goal for us to design and develop spaces in the library for student learning, study and community, and to address needs for both individual and group work, quiet and more active space, and all the varieties of needs our users have.  There is enough room in this wonderful building to accommodate everyone.

Please let us know if you have ideas for the library that we can consider.

The north end of the reference room being prepped for installation of the Media Resources Collection.

A rough conceptual rendering of the new space.