“If there be nothing new, but that which is Hath been before, how are our brains beguiled….”

—William Shakespeare, “Sonnet LIX”

As it turns out, much is new under the sun at Doane Library this fall.

Many have wondered why you don’t enter the library on the first floor. Now you do! The entry level is 1.

The Atrium level is A. The lowest, basement level, B, now houses the Archives and Special Collections.

The Archives and Special Collections has moved into an inviting new space where students and other scholars can do original research on the history of the college and find rare or limited edition books and manuscripts. For example, students can discover unique materials to enhance their research papers; faculty can bring classes to do hands-on work with primary sources; staff can access records that tell the story of Denison’s past in order to help inform its present and future. Think of it as a laboratory for the humanities, as well as the memory center of the university. Feel free to contact us for a tour and stay tuned for an opening celebration in October.

The new Center for Learning and Teaching is now open in the southeast corner of level A.

The notorious restrooms on level A have received a facelift. Other restrooms, from level A up through level 3, near the stacks and the elevator, have been upgraded to gender-neutral, accessible facilities.

Intern Gabby Vecchio ’16 was busy in the book stacks this summer, where new timers are set to turn on one row of lights at a time for 15 minutes. The timers are estimated to save $14,000 in electricity costs and eliminate 265,000 lbs of CO2 emissions annually. This upgrade is part of the campus energy efficiency work and is being funded through Denison’s green revolving loan fund. Savings from this project go directly toward funding other energy projects on campus.

A new hallway is being created from the lobby outside the Presidents Room to lead directly to the public elevator and the gender-neutral restroom on level 1.

All about Accessibility

In addition to the renovated restrooms on A through 3, and the new hallway leading from the front foyer to the elevator and restroom, we have also upgraded the lift on B. It will allow folks who can’t do stairs to get to both sections of level B, including stacks and restrooms, and the new Archives and Special Collections.

Joseph Leija’s Media Services enterprise is now on the ground floor of Barney-Davis.

August 20, 2015