As part of a larger project to empty 1810 Liacouras Walk, advising offices for the College of Liberal Arts and College of Science and Technology will move to the first level of Paley Library.
Construction began Aug. 1 and displaced 122 student study spaces, 20 computers and the reference stacks located on the east side of the first floor.
Dozie Ibeh, associate vice president of the Project Delivery Group, which is managing the university’s construction projects, said the discussion to move CLA and CST advising began in January. The decision was not made final until June, when the Project Delivery Group notified the deans of all impacted institutions.
Dean of Libraries Joe Lucia said in July he was most concerned about the loss of the study carrels and computers that students fill all year long.
“I don’t think this is the best decision for students this coming academic year,” Lucia told The Temple News in July. “From the middle of the semester to the end of exams, those spaces are usually filled all the time.”
He said “the real issue [was] the loss of computers.” In an email sent to library staff in mid-June, he said, “We will not in all likelihood be able to relocate the computers there, so that would be a net loss to students in the coming academic year.”
As classes began yesterday, Lucia said, the library was able to relocate every study seat, but lost the space for computers.
Richie Holland, director of administration for Temple Libraries, was in charge of reassigning the study carrels and tables throughout the library.
“It was like a big puzzle or game of jenga,” he said. “It was time consuming but the library staff worked well to get the job done.”
Holland said the reference stacks moved to the third floor on the east side, leisure books are now next to the reference desk on the first floor and carrels can be found in areas focused on quiet study while the open tables were moved to “open and noisy” spaces.
“I like the fact that now when you walk in, you see books right away,” Holland said. “It feels more like a library.”
Diana Knudsen, a senior vice dean in the Fox School of Business, told The Temple News in July that 1810 Liacouras Walk was being renovated in time for the centennial anniversary of Fox in Fall 2018.
Ibeh said the university plans to empty 1810 for the overall expansion of the Fox School of Business and to “create a business school quad zone” with Alter Hall, Speakman Hall and now 1810.
Ibeh said before the decision was made to move CLA and CST advising to Paley Library, they looked all over campus to find a spot for relocation. With the offices relocating to Paley, they will be closer to CLA in Gladfelter and Anderson halls and to CST in the Science and Engineering Resource Center.
“If you pick a space on campus, we thought about it,” he said. “We needed a central location to students.”
Thomas Price, director of the Office of Student Services in CST, declined to comment, as did Christopher Wolfgang, senior director of academic advising in CLA.
Julie Christie can be reached at julie.christie@temple.edu or on Twitter @ChristieJules.
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