LIBRARY RENOVATION: SEMO SEEKS $12.3 MILLION FOR KENT

Sarah Cron wants students to make better use of Kent Library. But Cron, the library director, says that won't happen until some changes are made inside.

Cron is cheering for changes proposed in a renovation plan that was reviewed last week by the Southeast Missouri State University Board of Regents.

She was hired last year as the director with a clear mission to help guide improvements to the university library.

The university administration has proposed a $12.3 million renovation plan that would be done in six phases. The work itself could take 30 months.

But the timing depends largely on the university's ability to secure state funding for the project in coming years.

The improvements must be done in stages because the library must remain open during the renovation work, Cron said.

Improvements would include reading rooms and group study areas. A vending area and lunch room would be added, and an expanded computer lab would be developed.

A Texas architectural firm studied space needs in the library and developed the improvements plan at a cost to the university of $67,000.

"We want to make this place friendly and inviting," explained principal architect Ed Hidell.

Faculty, staff and students have all found fault with the existing library. Southeast faculty often make use of other libraries in the area such as Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, the architectural report said.

Students said, "There are too many places to go to look for materials in the library, and then when you get to the place there are not many things that you want," the report said.

Southeast's business students rated the library's materials in the lower 20 percent as compared to other schools.

Staff said library aisles aren't handicapped accessible and "no weeding" has been done on the library's general collection of books for as many as seven years.

Students said they wanted group study rooms rather than small, individual study carrels as is currently the case.

Cron said students found the building to be dimly lit and dreary.

The original two-story library was built in 1938 and opened in 1939. It covered 25,200 square feet.

Renovated in 1967, the building was expanded to four levels, adding nearly 118,000 square feet.

Little has been done to the building since then in terms of decor. The furniture is outdated. So is the orange carpet on the second floor.

The tiny study carrels are seldom used.

The building wasn't designed for computers. The current heating and cooling system wasn't designed with computers in mind.

Southeast wants to move an upstairs computer lab to the main floor and expand it from about 40 to about 80 computers.

The current circulation area off the first-floor lobby would be changed to a casual meeting area with seating. The circulation desk would be moved to a more central location on the first floor.

An area would be provided on the first floor for current periodicals.

Cron said the first floor would be designed so the computer lab and some of the surrounding space would be open to students late at night, possibly even 24 hours a day in the future.

Plans include installation of a copy center to copy information that students want off the Internet. Students would pay for the service.

Southeast already is moving ahead with plans to spend $250,000 to convert Kent Library's Little Theatre into a computer lab to teach students and staff how to use the electronic card catalog.

The Faulkner Center would move to the first floor next to the Rare Book Room. The administrative offices would be moved to the third floor.

Cron said the goal is to have the high-traffic areas on the first floor, closest to the front door.

As part of the improvements, Southeast plans to address the moisture problems that extend along the building's rear wall. If the brick is removed as part of the repair work, windows could be installed to increase the natural lighting, Cron said.

The exterior metal grills over the library's windows would be removed to let in more light.

A casual seating and study area would be built on the second floor overlooking the Jake Wells' mural. A second-floor room, with its original high ceiling, would be restored as a reading room.

The third floor would house the general book collection.

The library's archives would be moved to the basement. Cron said it would provide expanded space for storage of materials for the archives and a reading room for those using the archives.

The university's writing lab, which helps students improve their writing skills, would be moved to the basement. Kent Library's basement currently is used largely for storage.