As many UVA students know, the UVA library system is currently going through a bit of an overhaul. Clem 2 was closed for an entire year a couple of years ago while being transformed into a beautiful, slightly-too-sterile group study space. Similarly, Clem 1 will be closed for the upcoming school year for renovations. But the library renovation that seems to be sparking everyone's interest right now is the long-term renovation planned for Alderman Library, which may result in a drastic reduction in accessible shelved books available to UVA students.
I first became aware of the extent of this renovation a couple of weeks ago, when I received an email containing a letter to the Board of Visitors regarding the renovation. This letter had been already been signed by hundreds of UVA students and faculty. As I read through it, and then I proceeded to read several other articles describing the project.
This one, in particular, got me thinking about how I really feel about UVA library renovations, which seems to differ from much of the current plan for Alderman's renovation. It essentially says that the renovation plans will get rid of Alderman stacks as we know it to make way for "compact shelving" and "more collaborative study spaces" while moving most of these books to the un-browsable Ivy Stacks. In my opinion, UVA has come a long way in the past few years with developing many "collaborative study spaces" so that students have better places to work. They already got rid of all of the books on Clem 2 to do this. At this point, I think we have enough collaborative study spaces spread across Grounds to satisfy the needs of all UVA students, though of course, I can't speak for everyone.
What I personally feel we need more of are private study spaces, areas where students can find their own little nook and not be surrounded by dozens of other students panicking over work. Spaces where students can study quietly away from home, but still be in a comforting area with warm light and intellectual stimulation. Spaces very similar to the existing Alderman Stacks, which provide a perfect sanctuary for students looking to study quietly by themselves. I'm all for collaborative study spaces, but I don't agree that every single library on Grounds needs to adhere to this ideal. Sometimes, studying collaboratively is not the most effective way for someone to succeed academically, and UVA libraries should recognize this by not removing every inch of individualized study space across grounds.
This article also seems to champion the idea of moving most of Alderman's books to the Ivy Stacks and removing the current stacks format. Though I can honestly say that I've never actually checked a book out of Alderman, I have enjoyed strolling through the stacks and browsing the shelves. I was raised to view libraries as places where I could indulge in my sense of discovery, where I could walk in and enter a whole world of books that were literally at my fingertips. In college, we're also taught to nourish this sense of discovery and learn as much as we can, sometimes just for the sake of it. I feel that drastically changing the shelving format in Alderman and removing most of its physical books from view would diminish this ability to spontaneously discover new things. It would continue the trend I see that's taking traditional libraries as I know them, ones that focus on books and transforming them into spaces that prioritize collaborative studying over books. And I really don't want all of the libraries I love to lose their bookish charm.
Even if there's a new feature that comes with the renovation that's, as the article mentions, a "virtual shelf browser," it won't be the same as physically browsing the shelves. Maybe I'm too much of an old soul, but I feel like not everything needs to be virtual. And not every library needs to devote 75% of its layout to collaborative study spaces. I've loved studying in Alderman for my three years at UVA thus far, and I hope for future students' sake that it still retains some of its "browsable" bookshelves for years to come. College students often feel nostalgic for their childhoods, and I would hate to see that future UVA students could no longer stroll through actual bookshelves and wonder what fascinating literary world they should enter next.
