Refurbished Fondren lounge thrives

By Michelle Jin     2/26/09 6:00pm

During the fall semester, Fondren Library's Sarah Lane Lounge, previously an open study area, was renovated into a place where students could relax and snack. The library added colorful beanbag chairs, posters of book covers and snack and soda vending machines to the lounge, Assistant University Librarian for Information Technology Diane Butler said."Our idea was for something kind of fun and colorful, a room where students could come in and do whatever they wanted to do: hang out, or talk, or study," Butler said.

The project started last fall, when Student Association Environmental Committee Chair Sara Hartnett, a Hanszen College junior, sent an e-mail to the library with the idea for an area in Fondren where students could unwind and have a snack or a cup of coffee, Butler said.

Afterward, library staff decided the Sarah Lane Lounge on the fourth floor was the best place for such an area, and went about redecorating it. The walls were painted, vibrant furniture was ordered and posters from the annual Friends of Fondren Gala - a dinner and auction for Fondren's Special Collections Endowment - were put up.

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"They've done a lot with it in the last few months," said Sid Richardson freshman Daniel Willis. "When I came here last semester, there weren't any posters, and the walls hadn't been repainted. I really enjoy reading and studying here."

The library also created a student advisory committee after receiving Hartnett's e-mail. The committee, made up of library administrators and a handful of graduate and undergraduate students, gathers input from the Rice community and meets to discuss what improvements the library could make to better cater to the needs of students and staff. Students are still welcome to join the advisory committee and bring suggestions as to how to improve the library, Butler said.

"Basically, we are looking for student input on how we can make the library better, as far as how we can help you in your research, or how can we help you in your studying, or what can we offer that we don't offer now that would be useful to you," Butler said.

One suggestion that the committee had was that the library extend its hours on Friday and Saturday nights. When the committee surveyed the Rice community, the responses were mixed - about half the people said they would use the library during those hours, Butler said.

During the fall semester, the library tested this idea by extending its hours and remaining open until midnight on Friday and Saturday, but it reverted back to the old hours at the start of the spring semester.

"The numbers just weren't there ... to justify the additional staff that we had to have," Butler said. "There just weren't many students who were coming to the library and using the library after 10 p.m.

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