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at The Evergreen State College

DMH Redesign Ideas

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Structural Changes

  • 24 hours
  • COFFEE
  • Move the tacky-looking and rarely used microfilm and periodical sections down into the basement.
  • I like Jules' idea of opening up that corner of the library and converting it into a common space. The area is already too loud for quiet study, and there is currently no such space available for students.
  • I also like Jules' idea of getting rid of the empty shelves in the corner closest to the conference room. By moving the periodicals section to the basement, that space could open up into a quiet(er?) study space.
  • Computer terminals: If the open computers aren't supposed to be there anyway (tragic as it is) I think we could get rid of all but one or two of the computers that are sitting at the terminals now. The library could install power outlets and wired LAN connections so people could bring in their laptops, sit down at the stations, and plug in. This would cut down on wireless traffic and open up more power outlets.

InfraStructural Changes

  • Librarian's Picks: I would love to get to know our librarians a little more. Currently, we have those dinky little display cases at the front that the majority of people just blow past. I think instead we could have a sort of "Librarian's Picks" section, which could feature a selection of a particular library employee's favorite books each month.
  • Reading Programs: I know it sounds cheesy, but if your goal is to get people using the library, a reading program is a great way to do that. Patrons would read so many books a quarter, fill out slips for each book they read, and receive a t-shirt with a sweet design on it. I know I'm always looking to expand my library shirt collection, I can't believe I'm the only one.
  • A Faculty Lecture Series: We could invite a few faculty members into the space to give lectures on something that is important to them but not necessarily in their current field of study or covered in their program. Or maybe even in their program. We would take advantage of resources that are already there, bring people into the library, and give students the chance to experience different faculty members without having to enroll in a quarter-long program. I think this would be a lot more effective than the meet-and-greet style of the Academic Fair.
  • The Evergreen Video Archiving Project: Somebody needs to commit to this thing. There are a lot of really great videos on there, but they're completely out of context, and the videos are impossible to sift through. Instead of an archive, I think the project should take on the look of a history. We could incorporate the hours of audio recordings and thousands of photos in Photoland and the Rare Books into an online compendium that allows students to explore Evergreen's beginnings, look at where Evergreen has gone, and build some idea as to where Evergreen is headed. We could include a map or 3D model demonstrating how the physical campus has changed over the years, and provide access to program descriptions, websites, and wikis.