Budget Not Book Space Problem for Library

The completion of the Miriam B. and James J. Mulva Library brings many misunderstandings between the students who will use the library and the staff in charge of running it. Recently, there has been a question about a possible decrease in the amount of book space available in the Mulva Library compared with the current Todd Wehr Library.

This is not the case, according to Felice E. Maciejewski, Library Director. In fact, the Mulva Library will have significantly more book space than the Todd Wehr Library. The Mulva Library will have a capacity of about 400,000 volumes, while the Todd Wehr Library is currently home to roughly 168,000 volumes. Even with the addition of the Media Library from the Dr. John R. Minahan Science Hall (JMS), there will be more than enough room for all library material.

The misunderstanding may have originated at the beginning of the planning process. Originally, the basement of the Mulva Library was going to have much more shelving than currently in the plans. However, due to economic constraints, the basement will contain a fraction of the original plan.

Even with the decrease in space, according to the College Advancement webpage, the Mulva Library will "provide space for a 50% expansion of the library collections." This expansion of the collections may not be as fast as the library wishes.

"We spend [our budget] to the last penny," Maciejewski says. The librarians always have more volumes to buy, but they do not always have the funds with which to purchase them. The Mulva Library will have the space to allow the collection to grow. The economy, however, cannot make the same allowance in the foreseeable future.