After nine months since its completion, are students taking advantage of the 24/7 access provided by the Morgan Library study cube?
The completion of the study cube in April 2012 marked the end of 18 months of Morgan Library renovation efforts. The $16.8 million library project started in March of 2011 and created a new study location on campus.
Sophomore hospitality management major Nick Hunter commented on his only experience in the study cube.
“I slept in the study cube the night before President Obama spoke on campus,” Hunter said. “The study cube is a great addition to campus and offers paying students a late night location for last-minute cramming.”
Although, he said, he wished that the money could have gone to a new project.
“Tuition fees are so high, what was so bad about our old library?” Hunter said. ” … I do not have any friends that study in the cube, it is always just a place to sit when it is cold or class is cancelled.”
The study cube is open to the public during regular library hours, but specifically designed for RamCard access after hours.
“We were going to a quiet study space, but more importantly a space where students could stay for 24 hours,” said Oscar J. Raab, Morgan Library manager of access services. “It has been a 18-month project and has received great feedback since the opening in April 2012.”
“The study cube is a friendly place to study and offers more to students that the main library can not,” Raab said.
The study cube provides a mix of study tables and lounge seating for 85 people, plus elevator access, heating and air-conditioning.
Freshmen equine sciences major Katie Watts said she enjoyed the piece and quiet (of the study cube) after finding out her class was canceled.
“The study cube is appealing because it is quiet and less crowded than the library,” Watts said. “I think that the construction is worth it. It looks nice from outside and is quiet inside.”
Watts said she enjoys having a quiet location on campus to focus on school work without the hassle of walking back to her residence hall.
