Transforming the library into a haven for students

For the past 10 years, Van Pelt Library has been undergoing renovations and additions to bring a new level of comfort to the facility. This year, most of the projects within the building are nearing completion. Over the summer the finishing touches were put on the Goldstein Undergraduate Study Center, located on the ground floor. The 24-hour study area, which houses the Rosengarten Reserve, has been completely redesigned over the past two years. In the second phase of the $2 million renovations, new furniture, more Internet access and multi-media equipment were added to the study space. It was funded by private donations and the University. Vice Provost for Libraries Paul Mosher explained the purpose of the renovation projects. "The goal has really been to recreate the library for the 21st century," Mosher said. "It was clear that the building [before the current projects] was worn out, that it was a shell." The library's previous construction over the past decade has included the renovation of facilities and the addition of more study and multi-media lounges. In designing the new center, planners relied heavily on student recommendations. "It [the study center] was done on the basis of what students said they wanted," Mosher said. The furniture for the new area was designed by famous designer Thomas Moser. It is supposed to provide comfortable seats and desks for students, many of whom spend hours at a time studying in the building. The study space is also equipped with numerous terminals for accessing the Internet, both through computers provided by the library and students' own laptops. Another possible addition to the new center is a coffee bar. But Mosher said he would have to prove to the University that this will not compete with the cafes in the Perelman Quadrangle. "Most of the people [in the study center] would be held captive anyway," he said, referring to students who wouldn't leave the books for coffee outside the building. Penn is also in the process of placing its entire card catalog online, getting rid of the actual drawers filled with cards currently housed on the first floor of the building. From an original 20 million cards, Van Pelt is now down to 200,000. Mosher stressed the importance of students to the renovation project. "I think that it's been a lot of fun to work with students and design it in the way they want it for their studies and learning," he said. The Rosengarten Reserve -- named for the late University Trustee Adolf Rosengarten -- is located on the north side of the center and can house up to 9,000 volumes at one time. Books are placed there on request by professors who want their classes to have guaranteed access to particular books.