The university is remodeling the first floor of Bobst Library to include new furniture, lighting and study spaces by mid-October — marking the library’s first ground floor renovation since 2005.
Austin Booth, dean of the division of libraries, announced the decision in an Aug. 15 email to the NYU community. She said the planned changes came as a result of research and feedback NYU president Linda Mills gathered from the university community before beginning her term.
“Embarking on an extensive refresh of the library’s first floor enables us to address comments from the community about the utility and adaptability of existing areas; the age and performance of fixtures and furniture; and the overall sensory experience,” Booth wrote to WSN. “These thoughtful changes will transform the character of Bobst’s first floor — making it more inclusive and creating better spaces for students, faculty, researchers, staff, alumni, and visitors from New York City and around the world to convene, engage, and collaborate.”
Further changes to the first floor will include additional electrical outlets, more seating options, updated wall paneling, improved carpeting and a new color palette.
CAS senior Peter Yu said he believes the renovated space will help alleviate overcrowding in the library.
“It’s getting more crowded,” Yu said. “Back in sophomore year, my first year in the New York City campus, I could grab a seat wherever I wanted. Now there’s people everywhere, so extra space will be nice.”
However, this will not be the library’s first renovation. In 2003, the university announced it would install 8-foot high plastic panels on all of the balconies in the library, following two student suicides in the building. After another student death in 2009, the university installed aluminum bars in the library to prevent anyone from climbing over the balconies.
CAS senior Francisco Ricci said he hopes the floor’s renovated study spaces will be easy to access, since he sometimes has trouble getting into certain parts of the building.
“Oftentimes, I see rooms that are empty. There’s an app you have to go through to register, or there’s a specific card or you have to be a graduate student. That’s all really dumb.” Ricci said. “We’re all students and I feel like we should all have access to all the study spaces and it should be easy.”
Correction, Sept. 14: The article previously misstated the year the first floor of the library was last renovated. The article has been updated to reflect this correction, and WSN regrets the error.
Contact Adrianna Nehme, Bruna Horvath and Krish Dev at [email protected].
