The Marcolian Online

Mar.1, 2007

Update on Marietta’s new library:
Thomas Hall will be used to temporarily store Special Collections
Jon Moffett
jrm001@marietta.edu

An unknown author once said, “A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend.” While a book might make a great friend while it is available to you, what is it if you can’t get a hold of it?

Marietta College has plenty of books on campus, but because they have decided to go ahead and upgrade their library facilities, they now face the issue of where to put them.
The basement and second floor of the library, which used to be wall-to-wall shelves of books, is now nothing more than a giant open space with little more than a few chairs and small stacks of books.

Students, during their walks to class and back may have noticed the moving trucks parked behind Dawes as people moved furniture and other big items out of the building. Other students may have been distracted by the sounds of the construction going on in Mills Hall during class hours. Both of these unusual events are connected in an attempt to remedy the problems of building a new library.

Mills Hall will now be serving as both an academic teaching building and offices for some of the library staff. The construction in Mills is being done to ensure that the building is not only able to hold the weight of all of the books and materials that are being moved there, but also that the area is an acceptable place to have a book collection that is available to students.

As of February 26, 2007, the Special Collections, which used to be housed in the basement of Dawes, will now be moved to Thomas. The Special Collections reading room will also be being relocated to Thomas Hall, and will be opened for students to pursue any of the Special Collections that were available in Dawes.

During this time, students will be able to go to Thomas as they would with Dawes and use the collection. Although hours of operation are not yet 100 percent certain, it is expected that they will be similar to the hours used for Dawes.

Dawes will still be open to students for the remainder of the semester. The normal library hours will be observed, and students are welcome to come in. The Reference Desk and Circulation Desk will still be open for help and checking books in and out.

The IT Help Desk and Computer lab will still be located and operational in the basement as well. Students who need computer advice are still welcome to call.

Students are also welcome to go to the library for a quiet place to study and use Internet access. Library books and bound journals, the Inactive collection, are also being stored off campus and are available upon request through M.C. Cat.

The interior of Dawes is scheduled to be gutted after the commencement ceremonies and graduation this spring. Although nothing is expected to happen to the interior structure until this summer, the ball is at least rolling in the right direction.

By now, almost everyone should know that the campus of Marietta College is getting a facelift. Dawes Memorial Library will soon be nothing more than a memory, and a new and improved academic coliseum will take its place in heart of the MC campus.

Although physical construction has not yet begun, nor has any demolition taken place, many of the library’s book and periodical collections have been moved to temporary storage centers, both on campus and off, that students can access themselves or through library staff.

Alumni donors Robert Dyson and Laura Baudo Sillerman, class of ‘68, have donated $5 million each to fund the new Library and Academic Learning Center. Also chipping in, Dave Rickey, class of ‘78, and his wife Brenda have also decided to donate $2 million in an effort to help get the project underway.

“Dave and Brenda Rickey brought together two of their passions—technology and education at Marietta College—to donate the Rickey Information Commons for our new library. The Rickeys understand that the ways in which students learn are changing, and that online resources play a key role in that learning. For that reason, they insisted that the new library contain the best possible technological resources, from infrastructure to databases, and they have generously provided the resources to make that possible,” said President Jean Scott.


• Campus News • Viewpoints • Sports • Arts & Living • Greek wrap-up • Ask Marc • Spotlight • New faces at MC • Meet our staff • Staff profiles • Letters to the editor policy • History of the newspaper • Benefits of advertising • Ad rates		Mar.1, 2007 Update on Marietta’s new library: Thomas Hall will be used to temporarily store Special Collections Jon Moffett jrm001@marietta.edu An unknown author once said, “A good book on your shelf is a friend that turns its back on you and remains a friend.” While a book might make a great friend while it is available to you, what is it if you can’t get a hold of it? Marietta College has plenty of books on campus, but because they have decided to go ahead and upgrade their library facilities, they now face the issue of where to put them. The basement and second floor of the library, which used to be wall-to-wall shelves of books, is now nothing more than a giant open space with little more than a few chairs and small stacks of books. Students, during their walks to class and back may have noticed the moving trucks parked behind Dawes as people moved furniture and other big items out of the building. Other students may have been distracted by the sounds of the construction going on in Mills Hall during class hours. Both of these unusual events are connected in an attempt to remedy the problems of building a new library. Mills Hall will now be serving as both an academic teaching building and offices for some of the library staff. The construction in Mills is being done to ensure that the building is not only able to hold the weight of all of the books and materials that are being moved there, but also that the area is an acceptable place to have a book collection that is available to students. As of February 26, 2007, the Special Collections, which used to be housed in the basement of Dawes, will now be moved to Thomas. The Special Collections reading room will also be being relocated to Thomas Hall, and will be opened for students to pursue any of the Special Collections that were available in Dawes. During this time, students will be able to go to Thomas as they would with Dawes and use the collection. Although hours of operation are not yet 100 percent certain, it is expected that they will be similar to the hours used for Dawes. Dawes will still be open to students for the remainder of the semester. The normal library hours will be observed, and students are welcome to come in. The Reference Desk and Circulation Desk will still be open for help and checking books in and out. The IT Help Desk and Computer lab will still be located and operational in the basement as well. Students who need computer advice are still welcome to call. Students are also welcome to go to the library for a quiet place to study and use Internet access. Library books and bound journals, the Inactive collection, are also being stored off campus and are available upon request through M.C. Cat. The interior of Dawes is scheduled to be gutted after the commencement ceremonies and graduation this spring. Although nothing is expected to happen to the interior structure until this summer, the ball is at least rolling in the right direction. By now, almost everyone should know that the campus of Marietta College is getting a facelift. Dawes Memorial Library will soon be nothing more than a memory, and a new and improved academic coliseum will take its place in heart of the MC campus. Although physical construction has not yet begun, nor has any demolition taken place, many of the library’s book and periodical collections have been moved to temporary storage centers, both on campus and off, that students can access themselves or through library staff. Alumni donors Robert Dyson and Laura Baudo Sillerman, class of ‘68, have donated $5 million each to fund the new Library and Academic Learning Center. Also chipping in, Dave Rickey, class of ‘78, and his wife Brenda have also decided to donate $2 million in an effort to help get the project underway. “Dave and Brenda Rickey brought together two of their passions—technology and education at Marietta College—to donate the Rickey Information Commons for our new library. The Rickeys understand that the ways in which students learn are changing, and that online resources play a key role in that learning. For that reason, they insisted that the new library contain the best possible technological resources, from infrastructure to databases, and they have generously provided the resources to make that possible,” said President Jean Scott.
Mailing address: Marietta College Box A-20, Marietta, Ohio 45750-4000 Physical address: McKinney Media Center, 508 Putnam St, Marietta, Ohio Phone: (740) 376-4555 E-mail: marc@marietta.edu