Library need not be luxurious

People come to the library to study because they would fall asleep elsewhere. \nLate on a Sunday night, you walk into the Main Library with an armful of books and a long night ahead. A clear table to get your work done eludes you -- there are couches instead. You've come to escape your roommates and all those other distractions in your living room or dorm room. \nThe trouble is, those distractions might be infiltrating the Main Library. \nThe library was never intended to be the hot spot on campus. Students who use the facility to study will not benefit from the increased numbers of people who might view the library as a substitute for the Indiana Memorial Union. \nThe recently added plush couches and coffee bar are nice amenities, but we have a well-equipped student union on campus. The library already boasts a coffee shop and other eateries, and there is a full food court in Wright across the street. We do not see a need to increase the gastronomical options. Surely there is a long list of requested books that could be purchased with the same money that would go to a sushi bar or other delicacies.\nMore than 30 years old, the Main Library serves as the centerpiece of the nation's 13th largest research collection. While the building does need repairs, there are more pressing matters than another restaurant and upholstery. Creature comforts should not be provided for library users at the expense of moving significant portions of the research collection, or squeezing other academic parts of the building. A library exists to hold books and help students use them. That purpose must be foremost in renovation plans because no amount of food and computers is going to help a student who can't find the necessary books for his or her paper.\nAccording to the Library's mission statement, its goal is "to support and strengthen teaching, learning, and research by providing the collections, services and environments that lead to intellectual diversity." Expanding the research collection and making the library even more accessible will accomplish far more for the library's goals than any cosmetic changes to the building. \nSome repairs and updates are undoubtedly needed, such as adding a sprinkler system, but the library does not need to mimic the Union when it comes to non-academic services. The library and the University could improve existing facilities and services that would have a direct impact on convenience. For example, the food court in the basement could accept meal points and print quotas could be increased. \nWe applaud the library for expanding the "Information Commons" based on high usage and positive response from students, but we caution against aesthetic over-indulgence.\nThe library declares on its Web site that it wants to cultivate "a physical and electronic environment that promotes teaching, learning and scholarship." We urge the University and the library to adhere to that goal and to keep extravagance in check. The line dividing form and function is easy to cross, but the library must distinguish between what emphasizes learning, and what promotes procrastination.