March 3, 2006

Letter to the editor: New library may not be ‘necessary,’ but will be welcome

This letter is in response to Jakob Kane Loukas’s article, “New library may not be necessary” (February 16, 2006, Page 17). The views that Miller expresses here are his own, and his words have not been altered in any way.

In terms of his overall thesis - that the library may not be necessary - Jakob Loukas is of course correct. But then again, few of the things we do in life are necessary. Certainly the college can continue to function with the existing library, in much the same way that the college functioned with a dilapidated gymnasium, out-dated science facilities, old dormitories, etc.

By my rough estimation, since I arrived here nearly seven years ago, the college has spent something in excess of $100 million in facility improvements (McCoy Hall, Dyson-Baudo, Rickey Science Center, Brown Petroleum, Fayerweather Hall, Mills Hall, the Gathering Place, Gillman, Irwin, Thomas etc.). I think a reasonable argument could be made that many of these improvements were not necessary in the since that the college could probably have functioned without them. However, MC would have been a vastly different place had these changes not occurred.

The library project is one more initiative, which, while not necessary, will likely improve the overall atmosphere and educational experience at the college. If Mr. Loukas is upset that the process of building a new library will be an inconvenience and that he might not reap the immediate benefits of it once it is completed, that is understandable. But such peevishness ought not to let us lose sight of the bigger picture here. MC ought to strive to do more than what is simply necessary; like any institution it ought to strive for what is optimal.

– MARK A. MILLER, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Mathematics