New USU library will sport next generation appeal
With the new library nearing completion and the Banner system soon to be up and running, the Associated Students of Utah State University Executive Council had plenty of changes to discuss Tuesday night.
The new library is scheduled to be ready for move-in on August 1, John Elsweiler, library public services associate director said. However, after that time the library will need another seven weeks or so to get more than 1.5 million volumes moved in to the new facility and organized. To add to the new state-of-the-art building, the library hopes to locate a holoscreen in the front lobby where important school announcements could be shown as well as other important information, Linda Wolcott, library vice provost said.
The screen is a glass type projection screen which will fit in with the design of the new library. The screen can be viewed from both sides and can be cut into any shape. The screen would be used to show library, ASUSU and other club announcements that would be screened and decided upon by the library and the ASUSU public relations chair, Graduate Studies Vice President A.J. Rounds said. The library has asked ASUSU to split the cost of the holoscreen up to $5,000 and the Executive Council will vote on the screen next week.
“The building will be a technological marvel and the screen will add to that,” Wolcott said.
Wolcott described the Merrill Library as dreary and the new library as a generation beyond the Sci-Tech. The library will soon start to really get the word out about the new library in the hopes of getting students excited for the new facility, Wolcott said.
The Sci-Tech Library will also be under more construction soon starting a few weeks before finals week which will affect group study rooms on the first floor, Elsweiler said. Alternatives such as more space available in the basement are presently being looked at.
Starting in roughly two weeks, students will no longer need to worry about using their social security numbers on the QUAD system because the Banner student system will be up and running, Rory Weaver said. The new system will eliminate the fear of identity theft by giving all students an ‘A’ number that will stick with them through all their years at Utah State.
Weaver said he wants to put the ‘A’ number on student ID cards so that students have their numbers readily accessible. Weaver explained that putting the numbers on the cards presents no risk because students pin numbers will not be on the cards. The Executive Council said they would support such a move. Students can visit the Help Desk’s Web site to discover their ‘A’ number.
Vice President for Student Services Juan Franco also announced the hope to build a new childhood development center on Innovation Campus. Franco said USU is currently starting the search for funds, but don’t want to come to the students for the needed money.
ASUSU also discussed next year’s budgets needs due to a fall in enrollment and thus a drop in student fees and income to the body. The body currently uses money from fees and funds such as investment in return and capital and support to fund all programs and activities. More discussion will take place next week.
-hilaryi@cc.usu.edu