New look for libraries

There's a visible line in the University of Utah's Marriott Library where old meets new as the brown speckled tile of the '60s butts up against the rich wood tones of a 1996 renovation.

Outside, steel beams loom as the library of the future begins to take shape, transplanting the aging building into the 21st century.

At 5 p.m. on a weekday, the halls of the library's '60s interior are vacant except for stragglers on the stairs and a few students hunched over books. But the whispers give way to lively chatter, cash registers and clicking keys toward the newer front of the building where students are gathered on cushy sofas around computer hubs.

Two women sit with a bag of Lay's potato chips and a book open between them, and a noticeable absence of the stereotypical shushing librarian.

The Marriott Library's relaxed feel is part of a new era in university libraries where computers take precedence over bookshelves and active group learning supersedes hushed whispers.

"Students can do just about anything; they can treat it sort of like a giant living room," said Joyce Ogburn, director of the Marriott Library. "We frowned on food; now we think it's an advantage to be able to work in a friendly setting rather than worry about some crumbs dropped here and there."

Instead of becoming a relic of the past, Ogburn said the library is reinventing itself with a cafe next to the circulation desk and a new emphasis on digital resources and computer software.

Along with Utah State University and Utah Valley State College, the U.'s library is changing to keep up with new technology and new student needs, she said.

All three universities are undergoing major library renovations, USU leading the way with a $43 million renovation of the Merrill Cazier Library that opened its doors in September. The U.'s $71 million upgrade will continue through 2008, and UVSC is now planning for a $48 renovation of its "digital learning center."

The name alone signals a changing era for college libraries. While books will always be a part of the library, UVSC library director Michael Freeman said offering an "information commons" is also a key draw for students. Not only do students without computers do much of their work at the library, many students prefer the quicker Internet connection and upgraded software like digital video editing, he said.

"If you're a student, you take one step into the digital learning center, and you can do all your research, all your packaging, all your copying," Freeman said. "When you step out of the library, you're ready to take the next step right into the classroom with a finished product."