A poor collection of library books could hinder student research
Christina Heiser, Editor-In-Chief
Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: Editorials and Opinion
that St. John's would remodel its library with more lounge space. Before the renovations, the most crowded
and noisy parts of the library were almost always the café and the lounge on the first floor.
But did the University really need to get rid of books to make way for more lounge space? The recently opened D'Angelo Center provides more than enough space for students to relax or hang out between classes
and easily could have filled this need.
In an April 2008 TORCH article, Theresa Maylone, university librarian, stated that in December 2007, the University set the deadline for weeding out books for May
2008. The library staff then found itself in need of completing this task sooner than it had expected.
Understandably, many professors said they were concerned about the library removing books, especially on such short notice, and were frustrated that they were not
consulted at the beginning of this process.
As an English major, it's easy to see where these professors are coming from. Research is an essential component of higher-level English, as well as other liberal arts,
courses. Many of these classes center around a final paper that requires extensive preliminary work-students begin by perusing books and various other materials before
they can even begin writing. Therefore, students must have access to a large collection of material in order to
be able to do sufficient research. In order for the University to attract the best students and professors, it must be able to provide the most upto-date, comprehensive materials for conducting research.
Only then will St. John's be able to seriously compete with other top universities in the country.
and noisy parts of the library were almost always the café and the lounge on the first floor.
But did the University really need to get rid of books to make way for more lounge space? The recently opened D'Angelo Center provides more than enough space for students to relax or hang out between classes
and easily could have filled this need.
In an April 2008 TORCH article, Theresa Maylone, university librarian, stated that in December 2007, the University set the deadline for weeding out books for May
2008. The library staff then found itself in need of completing this task sooner than it had expected.
Understandably, many professors said they were concerned about the library removing books, especially on such short notice, and were frustrated that they were not
consulted at the beginning of this process.
As an English major, it's easy to see where these professors are coming from. Research is an essential component of higher-level English, as well as other liberal arts,
courses. Many of these classes center around a final paper that requires extensive preliminary work-students begin by perusing books and various other materials before
they can even begin writing. Therefore, students must have access to a large collection of material in order to
be able to do sufficient research. In order for the University to attract the best students and professors, it must be able to provide the most upto-date, comprehensive materials for conducting research.
Only then will St. John's be able to seriously compete with other top universities in the country.
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