2008 Woodie Awards
The Daily OrangeLetters: Outdated Bird Library no longer capable of meeting students' needs
By Eric Reitz
Posted: 5/7/08, 8:12 PM EST Section: Opinion
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.
But then I found out he designed Syracuse University's Bird Library, the one and only. And let me just say, what a lackluster accomplishment. That's the business equivalent of being the CEO of General Electric Co. and then transferring to the Utica branch of Dunder-Mifflin.
Seriously though, our library is flawed for use in the 21st century.
First off, the only time it's open 24 hours is during the last two weeks of every semester. Other colleges feature 24-hour libraries year round, which makes sense because college kids have some erratic sleeping habits, to say the least.
So my advice to the SU administration: open it up. Seriously, when you just get done watching LOST at 11 p.m. or get back from the gym at 10:30 p.m. and want to shower before studying, you can't because the library closes by midnight - some nights even earlier. That's where the university seemingly says, "Good luck writing your paper to your neighbors blasting the New Dirt Nasty song!"
Another issue with studying in the library is the shortage of electrical outlets. I counted them the other day, and I believe there were 23 total. That's certainly not nearly enough to fill the needs of your average college student.
It's fine though, it's not like we use electricity to study. We don't need to go on Blackboard. Or write papers. Or use Excel for anything. Or book some faces to keep in touch with the peeps.
Maybe in the 1950s students' electrical needs were met by the building, but now you have to wait in line, like you had to for Nas tickets, to get a spot in the lounge with a plug. I know wiring is difficult, and it's not an easy problem to solve, but it is necessary. I would go more often and probably get more done if they had more spaces that were functional.
Just kidding. Architect majors, chill.
But then I found out he designed Syracuse University's Bird Library, the one and only. And let me just say, what a lackluster accomplishment. That's the business equivalent of being the CEO of General Electric Co. and then transferring to the Utica branch of Dunder-Mifflin.
Seriously though, our library is flawed for use in the 21st century.
First off, the only time it's open 24 hours is during the last two weeks of every semester. Other colleges feature 24-hour libraries year round, which makes sense because college kids have some erratic sleeping habits, to say the least.
So my advice to the SU administration: open it up. Seriously, when you just get done watching LOST at 11 p.m. or get back from the gym at 10:30 p.m. and want to shower before studying, you can't because the library closes by midnight - some nights even earlier. That's where the university seemingly says, "Good luck writing your paper to your neighbors blasting the New Dirt Nasty song!"
Another issue with studying in the library is the shortage of electrical outlets. I counted them the other day, and I believe there were 23 total. That's certainly not nearly enough to fill the needs of your average college student.
It's fine though, it's not like we use electricity to study. We don't need to go on Blackboard. Or write papers. Or use Excel for anything. Or book some faces to keep in touch with the peeps.
Maybe in the 1950s students' electrical needs were met by the building, but now you have to wait in line, like you had to for Nas tickets, to get a spot in the lounge with a plug. I know wiring is difficult, and it's not an easy problem to solve, but it is necessary. I would go more often and probably get more done if they had more spaces that were functional.
Viewing Comments 1 - 6 of 9
Matt
posted 5/08/08 @ 6:29 PM EST
I don't believe I.M.Pei designed Bird Library. He did design Newhouse, and I am sure there are a lot of fact checkers and editors that study there.
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. (Continued…)
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. (Continued…)
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. (Continued…)
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. (Continued…)
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