RPS wrong to close libraries

Six of IU's 12 residence hall libraries have been closed because IU Libraries decided to stop funding and supporting them. In the residence halls that lost their library, Residential Programs and Services will open shops called Movies, Music and More, where students can borrow movies, CDs and, eventually, DVDs, with a student ID.\nAlthough the residence halls administration will provide some services in their stead, this decision represents another example of RPS taking services away from students. \nThe new Movies, Music and More stores are open at Briscoe, McNutt and Forest quads and Ashton and Read centers. Meanwhile, the six remaining residence hall libraries will be renamed Library Community Resource Centers. Nancy Lorenz, RPS director of academic initiatives, said the decision to consolidate the libraries would give students more choices and direct efforts toward the parts of the library that interest students more, mainly CDs and videos.\nThis is the latest in a series of moves detrimental to campus residents.\nFour years ago, all residence halls featured a dining hall of some kind. Each had its own library. With the neighborhood system, RPS has gradually consolidated these services and others, leaving some halls with a wealth of perks and leaving others with nothing but residents facing rain, sleet and snow to find an ATM, a basic reference book or a meal.\nMost students use and enjoy the videos and CDs at the residence hall libraries more than they do books. But the magazine and reference book selections at these libraries (including news magazines such as Time or books such as world almanacs and dictionaries) were helpful for students needing to do basic research. They saved several hours of searching through the extensive collection at the Main Library. \nMany students living in the residence halls do not have their own transportation. Therefore, these students deserve to have as many services available to them as possible and that includes residence hall libraries. And after all, IU's first duty is as an academic institution. \nAlthough having fun and staying up late watching movies instead of doing homework is part of college, turning libraries into Blockbuster-esque outlets undermines the primary academic mission of IU.\n