New research center opens at Van Pelt

After five years, Safra Center ready for use The $2 million Safra Business Research Center, part of the Lippincott Library of the Wharton School of Business, opened yesterday on the second floor of Van Pelt Library. "It's a culmination of five to six years of planning and trying to make the facility more comfortable for Wharton students and up to date in terms of electronic access," said Lippincott Library Director Michael Halpern. The 20,000 square foot space -- that formerly housed periodical racks and Lippincott's business reference facility -- has been renovated to include computer stations, book and periodical collections, reference and other desk services, a study lounge and meeting rooms which house the latest instructional equipment. Wharton Dean Thomas Gerrity toured the facility early yesterday morning. "The leading universities are the ones that will lead in the area of information support for students and faculty," he said. "This is a big jump into a leadership role for Penn and Wharton. "The building looks so much lighter, open and welcoming, as well as high tech," Gerrity added. "It's the right balance." Joe Zucca, Halpern's assistant, emphasized that the change was made possible as a result of cooperation between the general library system and the Wharton School. Development Director Adam Courson-Finnerty said this project will be followed by a $7.5 million renovation of the first floor of Van Pelt. Construction will begin this summer and should be done in approximately two years, he added. "This is a preview of things to come," he said. Courson-Finnerty also noted that the facility was designed to appear "warmer" to students. "The wood look will bring warmth to the look of the library," he said. Vice President and Director of Libraries Paul Moesher agreed that the library needed to be more student friendly. "This is the first part of a dream we've had for seven years," he said. "When I came up with this idea, I spoke with students and faculty members to understand what they think a library of the 21st century should contain. "Students told me that they think of the library as a place that guards books and we've wanted to make this an ideal place for students to come, live and work," Moesher added. "We even have oversized chairs for them to take a nap." Wharton sophomore Ezra Safra, whose family is the library's namesake, said the new library is "very nice and good for students to do on-line searches." "It's always good to get better facilities and the University needs to keep improving to meet these challenges," he added. And other students' reactions to the library opening were also very positive. "I think the facilities are great -- the new printers, the CD-ROMs, access to business materials and financial information is amazing," said Humberto Carcamo, a second-year Wharton MBA student. First-year Wharton graduate student Adam Gileski agreed. "There's obviously a substantial improvement in computer resources," he said. "I think that this is helpful for anyone who is doing company research."