Reading, writing, and for some, napping, might be a bit more comfortable in Mossey Library now that new furniture purchased with a grant from Student Federation has been installed.
The new chairs and tables arrived last week and have already replaced some of the decades-old, regularly-breaking furniture that was purchased when the library was built.
“I wanted something shovel-ready that we could do right away,” Library Director Dan Knoch said, “so students could benefit from it immediately.”
The library ordered 56 chairs and five large tables, totalling $27,280.28. Shipment was delayed slightly because of recent snow, but all the furniture arrived by the first week of classes.
The furniture was ordered to match the existing furniture as closely as possible. New lean-back chairs now surround study tables in the Dow special collection room, and new rectangular study tables on the second floor occupy the stacks and study rooms. More new chairs are spread throughout the second and third floors.
The furniture was part of a larger list Knoch submitted to Student Fed last semester. The federation voted to grant the library money for the new furniture, but other capital improvements will have to wait until the library’s budget can afford them, which could take years. A Scan Pro 2000 Digital Microfilm/fiche scanner, the 1986-2006 Times of London digital archives, and a new Xerox 5550 two-sided printer are among these.
“This is speeding up considerably,” Knoch said. “It would take several years to do this, and with the Student Federation grant we can do it this year.”
The old furniture will be stored by the college, used elsewhere on campus, or sold at the women’s commissioners sale, provided it is still usable.
Library furniture is designed to be very durable, so it can withstand decades of use and abuse by a demanding student body.
Public Service Librarian Linda Moore explained that the furniture purchased when Mossey was opened in 1971 was made using pressed wood that routinely peeled and split. She thinks the poor condition of the old furniture contributed to abuse.
“If you have an old chair that has some damage, people are going to add some more damage,” she said. “It’s like graffiti. If you maintain the look of your environment, people are more respectful.”
The new furniture is made of hardwood, and will also give the library a much more uniform look.
“Library furniture is tougher, harder, better-made furniture,” Knoch said.
Knoch pointed out one table, in use since it stood in the old Carr Library in the 1950s. Lifting it and setting it down, he demonstrated how sturdy it still is.
“I guess you have to say they don’t make them like they used to,” he said.
Former Student Fed representative and junior Casey Harper defends the controversial decision to grant the money to the library for the purchase.
“Some students have been critical of the decision, but this was an important, one-time purchase that helped the library out, that would have been difficult on their own,” Harper said. “The last chairs they brought lasted 40 years, so this is really an investment in the library.”