Nov. 30, 2006

New home for rock and seal

Elysia Wright
Emw001@marietta.edu

The first signs of the new library going from a dream to a reality are now visible. During the short Thanksgiving week, a few trucks were seen in the back of Dawes Memorial library moving things out.

With the construction of the new library looming ever closer, some students are wondering what is going to become of key features such as the seal on the front entryway of the library and the rock located in the green area between Dawes and McDonough— the site of the new library. Dr. Doug Anderson, library director, was able to answer exactly where the new seal will be going; however, plans for the rock are still being discussed.

The new seal will be going in a very similar place to the old seal in respect to the library. Since the “main” entrance to the new library will be facing Gilman, the seal will go on the new library’s entryway, similar in prominence to the way it is being displayed on the front steps of Dawes Memorial Library.

There are various ideas of where to place the seal during the renovation process, but a definitive plan has not yet been made.

“We want to keep it visible,” Anderson said. It is hoped that the seal will be displayed in a central, prominent location on campus while the construction of the library takes place.

As for the rock, the architects have addressed it as a point of concern on the plans for the new library, but no one has found a definitive place for it yet. This is not to say that the rock will not be included on campus, though. Anderson noted that the staff and architects are aware of the rock’s importance to students and its need to be displayed in a central location on campus. He speculated that wherever the stone is moved during the library’s construction will be its permanent home. This is not solidified, but Anderson guessed that because of its size and weight it will probably be most practical to move the stone only once.

The library staff is in fact looking for ideas from students about where to place the rock on campus, and Dr. Anderson encouraged students to send their ideas for the rocks new home to the library’s official email address— library@marietta.edu. With more ideas, he said, the staff and architects will be able to make a smarter decision about its new location. There will have to be a finalized decision made about where the rock will go by May 2007 at the latest.

Dr. Anderson noted that when the seal is removed from its current place in the steps of Dawes Memorial Library, there are thoughts of having a “decommissioning” ceremony, perhaps honoring previous directors of the library as well as making note of the junior class. Anderson noted that juniors will be suffering the most inconveniences by the library move because they will be at Marietta for all of the deconstruction and construction, but will not get to reap the benefits of the new library while they are students.

After the removal of the seal, there are thoughts of some sort of event or party that could be held in the empty library. Since nothing in the library will need to be preserved, there are a variety of ideas and options of different sorts of fun events for students to partake in using the large empty building. While plans for this are certainly not concrete and definitely still in the talking phase, the possibilities of the large, empty library are looming.

An interesting note about the school seal involves a circulating rumor among students. Some students may have heard the myth that if you step on the seal upon entering the library, you will either take an extra year to graduate or not graduate at all. While there is certainly no validity to the myth, it’s worth noting that many students (especially upperclassmen) don’t step on the seal upon entering the library. It seems that the new placement of the seal won’t interfere with this myth, since it will still be the same seal in a very similar place of prominence outside the new library.