“The project for an academic commons is meant to serve two purposes, both of which are part of the Strategic Plan,” said Ray English, director of libraries, speaking to students about the plan for the reorganization of space in Mudd Library. “The first is to promote curricular support for students, and the other is creating what we’re calling ‘academic community space.’”

The main floor of Mudd is the projected site for the commons. On Tuesday afternoon, the directors of the library and architects Jack Hedge and Eric Lipschitz of DesignGroup, the firm hired to carry out the design, met with interested students to discuss the plans.

The plan aims to “provide a central place for various kinds of academic support” by consolidating the circulation desk, the reserve desk, the AV film collection and the inter-library loan desk into one master desk.

Hedge laid out the basics of the plan: “It’s going to be a lot of learning resources available on one floor. We’re going to take out the print collections, except for some print reference and current periodicals which will open up the floor for collaborative study space, technology and the writing center’s going to come down [to the main level].”

English said that the back of the commons will probably contain a multi-media lab for digital projects and a hands-on classroom where reference librarians will work with classes.

The major emphasis of English’s and the architects’ presentation was the open environment they hope to create, including study rooms with glass walls, and the community feeling that openness is meant to aid.

“We want to create visibility for various things that are available but also create an open, welcoming, attractive space,” said English.

In achieving the second part of this goal, English seems to be relying most heavily on the new café that will occupy the space currently taken up by the periodicals. The feeling was that Oberlin needs a venue for academic cooperation between students as well as between students and faculty.

“I’m hoping we’ll have, number one, a really attractive physical space; and number two, really good coffee,” said English. “We want it to be gourmet.”

The café would be staffed by Campus Dining Services. Also housed in the glass-walled area would be the “current reading” section, with current popular periodicals, recent acquisitions and faculty publications.

“Assuming we get this funding, I think there’s a lot we can do with this space to…promote social interaction between students and faculty,” said English.

The projected budget is $1 million. Funding has not yet been entirely guaranteed, though half the million has been assured via a grant from college funding and a major donation from an alum. The planning committee is actively seeking more donors and aims to have all the needed funding by the December Board of Trustees meeting. The Board must approve the plan before the plan can be executed.

English was optimistic about the Board’s approval, given the necessary funding, which he did note was still an “if.”

“We’re building a consensus on this,” he said, also referencing President Nancy Dye’s approval, surveys of students and student focus group results as encouraging factors.

Given the approval, construction should take place over the summer and the commons should be completed by autumn of 2007.

Most of students’ questions had no answers, as the plans are still in the “schematic” stage and not the “design development stage.” The aesthetics were the main topic of discussion. Alan Boyd, associate director of the library, pointed out that there was a lot of classic and valuable furniture in the library and English confirmed that most have been there since Mudd opened in the mid-1970s.

The amount of new furnishings will depend on the funding.

“There’s a possibility that there will be a mishmash [of old and new],” said Lipschitz. “The question will be how to combine it tastefully…and seamlessly.”

The architects and English emphasized the students’ importance to the design process. Rachel Karasick, College sophomore and Senate-appointed student representative to the committee, described her role:

“If they need a student to ask questions about student things, like laptops [over desktops], that’s what I’m there for.”

Colin Koffel, College junior and student senator, referred to the past surveys and plans for future focus groups as “an example for how this process is supposed to go.”

The committee has already begun to respond to student desires, as expressed by last spring’s survey: as of fall, the academic commons and probably the whole library as well will be open until 2 a.m. at least five days a week. Also, the DesignGroup firm was in part hired because of their notable abilities in environmentally sustainable building and design.

“There is still a long list of issues to work out,” said English. “[For example] we don’t know what we’re going to do with the [emptier] A-Level space. We’re reducing our collection of print reference.

“But it’s not our library, it’s your library,” continued English. “I hope to keep it open. I’m convinced it will be a very popular spot – if we have good coffee.”