Spring Break
The Daily OrangeLetters: Outdated Bird Library no longer capable of meeting students' needs
Abstract:
I was talking to a friend jokingly that architect Ieoh Ming Pei, more commonly know as I.M. Pei, was "the man" because he designs sweet buildings like the Washington Memorial, Mount Vesuvius and the Statue of Liberty.
Just kidding. Architect majors, chill....
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Mike
posted 5/09/08 @ 1:40 PM EST
Eric, you seriously need to research your topic before venting. The Bird Library was designed by King & King, a Syracuse firm. But that's just one errant detail in your letter.
If you'd asked, you would have discovered that the 'administration' is deeply involved in trying to bring poor old Bird into the 21st century. Pages is just the beginning. (Why do you think those glass walls came down?)
Architects have been retained, surveys concerning students' wants and needs are underway and the shortcomings of the building are being evaluated and addressed even as you write...
You're correct in one thing, though: the old Bird needs help. How about a positive act of apology on your part: Go find that $50 million donor who is needed so desperately in order to shove the library, kicking and screaming, into the new century and the electronic information age.
I can promise you as one involved in that transformation, the librarians and 'administration' believe it can't happen soon enough.
If you'd asked, you would have discovered that the 'administration' is deeply involved in trying to bring poor old Bird into the 21st century. Pages is just the beginning. (Why do you think those glass walls came down?)
Architects have been retained, surveys concerning students' wants and needs are underway and the shortcomings of the building are being evaluated and addressed even as you write...
You're correct in one thing, though: the old Bird needs help. How about a positive act of apology on your part: Go find that $50 million donor who is needed so desperately in order to shove the library, kicking and screaming, into the new century and the electronic information age.
I can promise you as one involved in that transformation, the librarians and 'administration' believe it can't happen soon enough.
geirgo
posted 5/14/08 @ 7:20 AM EST
Plus, Bird wasn't around in the fifties - it wasn't built until the late sixties/ early seventies.
RODBO
posted 5/18/08 @ 12:19 AM EST
I attended SU in the late 60's & early 70's & I can say for certain that the Big Bird wasn't opened until the early 70's. But let me ask you this: How much extra tuition would you be willing to pay to keep Bird open all night? If you want something in life, you should be willing to pay for it.
Lewis
posted 6/10/08 @ 11:41 PM EST
Originally posted byRODBO
I attended SU in the late 60's & early 70's & I can say for certain that the Big Bird wasn't opened until the early 70's. But let me ask you this: How much extra tuition would you be willing to pay to keep Bird open all night? If you want something in life, you should be willing to pay for it.
i think 56,000 is enought for a year? Probably you should go back and see that what was new then, is old now.
Birdm
posted 6/11/08 @ 1:48 PM EST
Originally posted byRODBO
I attended SU in the late 60's & early 70's & I can say for certain that the Big Bird wasn't opened until the early 70's. But let me ask you this: How much extra tuition would you be willing to pay to keep Bird open all night? If you want something in life, you should be willing to pay for it.
Before you go making a comment about how much we're willing to pay for, I would've liked to ask you if you knew exactly how much tuition has gone up since you attended SU? The answer is: A LOT. I think the amount we pay should be more than enough to accommodate student needs especially for an important institution like the library. I know that library officials are planning a full renovation for the library over the next few years that began with the construction of the cafe, but I also know that student's were begging for a 24-hour study area well before they were hankering for a cappuccino. And if it's so much more money- why do most universities have a least a 24-hour study room available all year round?
Eric
posted 6/27/08 @ 12:18 AM EST
Originally posted byRODBO
I attended SU in the late 60's & early 70's & I can say for certain that the Big Bird wasn't opened until the early 70's. But let me ask you this: How much extra tuition would you be willing to pay to keep Bird open all night? If you want something in life, you should be willing to pay for it.
Why burden the students? Perhaps SU should first trim the salaries and benefits packages of some of its high ranking officials? Then maybe reconsider the need or usefulness of certain programs?.... You've gotta spend money to make money.
That having been said, Syracuse University should be able to do much MUCH more than it currently does, without raising tuition or fees for students. Fundamentally, this should include an updated 24 hour library, which in my five years (yes I was an architecture major) I may have enjoyed had it been available.
All one need do is research the quality amenities available at comparable institutions -- institutions of similar caliber, enrollment, endowment, and tuition -- to recognize that in many areas, SU is sorely lagging. Some of the best schools in the country do more with less money, and some of the best schools in the country also have....24 hour libraries that are more comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. Is it any surprise then that the best students in the country are drawn to those institutions?
Surely, SU's administration has recognized the university's deficiencies and are taking action to undertake upgrades, but to date these have been slow in coming. Certainly, tearing down the library is just not feasible or even advisable considering the high cost of new construction associated with a completely new and enlarged facility to house six million books. And where would such a facility be located?
The existing library structure has, at very least, good "bones," and can be renovated, manipulated, or otherwise expanded for relatively little money -- just look at the downtown Warehouse conversion, which took an otherwise mundane concrete box and "opened" it up. Perhaps a similar approach to "opening up" the library could be undertaken to relieve its oppressive and unwelcoming face to the campus.
As an afterthought, I'd also recommend undertaking the Schine Student Center, which everyone knows is equally as mediocre and outdated as the library, and equally effective at turning prospective students away from what might otherwise be a great institution. Beyond straight academics, there are four things prospective students and their families look for in a University. 1) A unique and beautiful campus, which SU does have, 2) A spectacular library, 3) a spectacular student center, and finally, 4) spectacular housing options.
Left unchanged, neither the library nor the Schine Center, nor the 60s era dorms will be sufficiently equipped or managed to cope with the increased demands and expectations of everyday contemporary student use, and future generations. SU should be willing to invest in these CRITICAL facilities as capital improvements, and should find a way to do this without additional cost to students. It should make these investments if not only for the students, but for itself as a marketing tool to remain a serious contender among the best schools in academia.
theGuy
posted 6/02/08 @ 11:49 PM EST
In my time at SU I didn't use the library too much... I know two things... 1) IM Pei designed as much of the Statue of Liberty as he did that building and 2) I still have a book that I checked out in 1989... I hope they never find me because I won't give it back. There are definitely other places to study but I enjoyed reading your little rant. of course in 1989 all we needed to plug in was a TV. Geez. Next I'll be talking about walking to class uphill in the snow... oh wait... I did.
Bob Marino
posted 6/24/08 @ 4:00 PM EST
Bird was designed by local architects King & King. It opened in 1972. (It even had a bridge to an entrance on University Place.) At the time, the university estimated it would eventually need 3 additional "Bird Libraries" over time but that was before the digital revolution.
The library likely does need upgrading. Tearing it down would be prohibitively costly.
Library Science (for which Syracuse is famed)is increasingly technology based.
Ironically, if SU had the funds, Bird could be retrofit for academic use with a new library constructed to complement the university community. And if ever built, hopefully it would be to higher architectural standards.
Bob Marino '75
The library likely does need upgrading. Tearing it down would be prohibitively costly.
Library Science (for which Syracuse is famed)is increasingly technology based.
Ironically, if SU had the funds, Bird could be retrofit for academic use with a new library constructed to complement the university community. And if ever built, hopefully it would be to higher architectural standards.
Bob Marino '75
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Matt
posted 5/08/08 @ 6:29 PM EST