Geneseo student’s opinion on new Library
Photo courtesy of Photo Editor Faith Zatlukal
The new interior of Milne Library has many students impressed with its modern elements and various seating options.
The hot news on campus is the soft opening of the Milne Library, occurring on Thursday, Nov. 7. This soft opening has been long awaited, as many current students —if not all— have never been inside the library, and because of the campus’s previous lack of an official library, students had resorted to studying in their apartments and random places on campus.
Over the past couple of years, a common complaint amongst Geneseo students has been that they are forced to study in their dorm rooms or on random benches outside. I, personally, have even found myself studying in the hallway of my dorm, on random chairs I can find open in academic halls, and in less-than-ideal places outside.
I talked to a few Geneseo students about the library opening and asked their opinions on several different aspects of it. Sophomore business administration student Erin Coyle transferred to Geneseo this fall semester but has still been greatly impacted by the lack of a library. Before the library opening, she often found herself studying in her room off-campus or scrounging around trying to find a seat in the MacVittie Union.
Despite the long wait, Coyle appreciated the interior of Milne Library, saying, “They have put so much effort into every part of it, and it’s so nice to have such a beautiful space to get work done.” This opinion was commonly heard on the day of the soft opening, with many students appreciating the modern interior of the building.
Junior English major Abigail Axton had similar opinions after seeing the building on its soft opening date. She found herself studying in Bailey Hall often, but again, she was always on the hunt for an open seat.
She was eager to use the Library for the first time, saying, “I do see myself utilizing the Library. I always find myself wanting to study and be productive for long hours at a time, but Bailey can just be too suffocating sometimes. It's nice to have a new space, which I think this library will provide because of the many seating options it has.”
Studying is a very necessary and, therefore, a popular activity among students, who sit down and do homework for a long period—often becoming tired of sitting in the same academic building or busy campus space while trying to complete their necessary work for the day. Whether it is to get ahead on work or to catch up on work they procrastinate on, Geneseo students can often be found in the same spot for multiple hours. The addition of the Library will open up seats and spaces for these students to study comfortably.
Despite the beautiful interior, many students still found themselves frustrated and found the soft opening to be underwhelming, expecting a grander reveal after years of construction. Axton was not one of these students, expressing that “Personally, I do think the construction was worth the wait. Partially because, as a junior, I had never experienced having a library on campus, so the absence of one did not affect me too badly.”
Do you have strong opinions about the new Milne Library or anything else on campus? Attend a Lamron meeting and write about them! The Lamron meets every Thursday at 5:00 pm in the office inside the Mail Room on the lower floor of the MacVittie College Union. We are always welcoming new writers and are always looking for new things to write about on campus.