By: Sydney Umstead, News Editor
As the second semester begins, the renovations to the second floor of the Andrew L. Bouwhuis Library has continued, with more information about that process being shared.
This is an ongoing story.
The renovations were first reported on in the Sept. 13 edition of The Griffin. Matt Kochan, librarian, provided insight into how the library’s collections have been sorted when deciding what will go into the bins that now reside right outside the library doors, often filled with books.
On the topic of the archives, Kochan stated that he “can’t imagine” the archives would be removed, noting how a lot of the items in there are “one of a kind.”
Plans for what the renovated floor may look like have not yet been revealed to students or library staff, as they are yet to be fully developed.
Kochan described the library staff’s process of removing books after the library staff had been told they would need to remove 88,000 books. He explained that, for librarians, there is a “method to the madness of weeding books.”
The process begins by seeing how frequently books have been checked out. Kochan gave the example of checking for books that haven't been checked out of the library for about 20 years, and gathering a number from there.
He also discussed the importance and prominence of physical copies even in a digital age, saying how years ago people discussed the incoming waves of e-books and Kindles; yet, he doesn’t “see Kindles like they told me I would.”
One of the companies the books will be donated to is Better World Books, which is a website where books can be sold for cheaper prices than in-store prices.
Books that have been removed from the library include the following: duplicated copies of the same book, outdated material such as almanacs or books that contain outdated and offensive terminology.
Empty shelves – which once held books from the second floor – have been placed in the basement of the library.
There are also still people “rescuing,” as Kochan called it, the books that are being taken out of the library, including professors and students.
There will be a meeting to discuss the library on Feb. 3 at 3 p.m. on the main floor of the library.