New 24-hour study area opens in library

Participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new 24-hour study area are (from left) UD President David Roselle; Susan Brynteson, May Morris Director of Libraries; YoUDee; John Cordrey, president of DUSC; Marilyn Prime, director of Student Centers; and Provost Dan Rich.

4 p.m., Nov. 9, 2004--Students and UD administrators stood together in the lobby at the entrance to the Morris Library, Monday, Nov. 8, as a blue and gold ribbon was cut inaugurating a 24-hour student study room, the product of a successful collaboration between them.

At the end of spring semester, several students, including John Cordrey, now president of the Delaware Undergraduate Student Congress (DUSC), approached UD President David Roselle with a problem that faces most students, the need for a quiet place, other than where they live, especially during final exams.

It took no time at all for UD administrators to recognize a student need, realize it was doable and get it done.

A solution came in the form of the Library Commons, the small study room adjacent to The Bistro, the library snack bar, and the Nov. 8 ceremony officially opened the Morris Library Commons for around-the-clock study during the four busiest evenings of use, Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

This is “a very nice illustration of how student government and University administration can work together successfully,” Roselle said.

Cordrey thanked Roselle and Provost Dan Rich for a successful effort and explained that renovations were necessary to make the library secure during the hours that only students would be using the building.

The inside doors leading into the library were reinforced with emergency locks, and video cameras were installed in the commons to record all activity there.

Lawrence O. Thornton, chief of the Department of Public Safety, said trained student police aides will be stationed in the commons after the main portion of the library closes until the end of the semester, when the need for them will be evaluated.

Public Safety staff will maintain a log of activity for the Library Commons during the overnight hours. At the end of this semester, the use of the commons for extended study periods will be evaluated, and scheduling decisions will be made for 24-hour access in the spring and future semesters.

Photo by Kevin Quinlan

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