Gelman Plans Are A Start

Gelman Library needs a massive overhaul to adequately fulfill the needs of GW students. 

While the $5 million proposal presented by University Librarian Jack Siggins represents an acknowledgment that change is needed, the plan would be much improved by focusing on adding study space rather than trying to make the first floor look like the newsroom at CNN headquarters:

The Hatchet's staff editorial reads:

How many flat-screen televisions does one school need?

Apparently, between J Street and the lobby of Duques Hall, we don't have enough of these around campus yet, because the plans for the Gelman Library first-floor renovations include an Information Hub decked out with a number of these flat panels.

Any GW student who has ever cracked a book open will likely argue that Gelman needs some serious improvements. Before shipping in the flatscreens, however, administrators should stop and consider what the true mission of a library really is.

Students absolutely don't need high-tech TVs. We probably don't even need that Information Hub. We just need a place to study, free from the distractions of our living environments. 

Today, with many students gearing up for a deluge of midterm exams, the need for more study space has never been more apparent. 

Unfortunately, the university does not see it this way:

"The University does not see this as a high enough priority to warrant even presenting this to the Board of Trustees," [Siggins] said.

The university should really reconsider its current course of action and explore the new Gelman plan (sans flat-screen TVs) before this year is over.