J-School Library reopens today

After a year of planning and months of construction, the Weil Journalism Library located inside Ernie Pyle Hall will reopen today. \nThe newly renovated facility offers 11 Macintosh and PC units. Many of the computers are set up in a group-station arrangement to aid students and faculty members when working with each other. Wireless Internet and laptop ports are also available at similar computer stations.\n"It was obvious that we needed more group study space," Library Coordinator Linda Butler said. \nButler said, before the renovation, only one table was available for students to gather around and it was not sufficient. \nThe need for an upgrade was first introduced approximately two years ago when renovation of EP 220, the building's lecture hall, overtook three faculty offices. The new library set up has made room for several more offices on the first floor of the building, but has limited capacity for written resources.\nToday, the library houses only 10 percent of the books and journals it held before the renovation.\nPlanning for the new library began around December of last year and has now reached its completion, pending a few minor technical difficulties. Telephone lines as well as printer troubles delayed the opening until today.\nButler said students used to refer to the Journalism Library as "tired-looking" and "retro," but it is now a much more comfortable and modern atmosphere. The library is outfitted with plush couch-like chairs and plenty of work-space. \nStudents and faculty members that have seen the new library are happy with its appearance, but disappointed that it has taken so long to open.\n"It's nice-looking," Academic Advisor Lauren Kinzer said. "It is a little late though."\nButler said the comfortable appearance of the library will ensure it will be a popular spot for studying on campus, even though the amounts of books that are available suffered when the space was confined. Books will be available by request delivery, a service that swaps books between various libraries on the Bloomington campus. \nVideo tapes and journals needed for classroom activities are also available at the Journalism Library, a fact that pleases many students in need of these materials. \n"I'm glad that the library is opening because I have needed journal articles for my classes and now I will be able to get them right by all my classes," sophomore Jaclyn Kalb said.\nLibrarian Grace Jackson-Brown was unavailable for comment, but Butler said they are both very excited about the new opening and they think it will be a big hit with the students and faculty of Ernie Pyle Hall.\n-- Contact staff writer Lindsay DeWitte at ldewitte@indiana.edu.