Electric Transformers to Displace Books
Collections on first floor of Cohen may be "tossed"
Collections on first floor of Cohen may be "tossed"
These books are older than the campus.
Soon students may really want to stay out of the "basement" of the Cohen Library. The latest plans for the development of the South Campus science complex feature six electric transformers occupying the first floor of the Morris R. Cohen Library, which is currently home to electronic classrooms, study carrels and an enviable collection of non-science journals.
The purpose of the transformer station is to increase electrical power to South Campus. Because power mains are located along Amsterdam Avenue, a midway station is necessary to channel the electricity between the North Campus and the South Campus.
Originally, the station was to be placed in the area outside of the North Academic Center, which currently serves as the campus parking lot. However, plans were changed, and the transformers are now slated to be placed inside the Cohen Library, which is located inside the NAC, the school's main academic and social space. According to the latest plans released, the transformer facility will occupy 16,700 sq. ft. of the 20,722 sq. ft footprint of the library.
Clearing the first floor for the transformers entails removing the books, periodicals, and other materials currently housed there. Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President Lois Cronholm, who developed the plan, proposed the installation of compact shelving to distribute the displaced library collection onto the other floors. Some consider the plan unreasonable, citing the high cost of the system and the additional need to reinforce all the floors of the library to handle the added weight. According to faculty at the library, given the high cost of relocation, the collections currently housed on the first floor will simply be "tossed out."
Dr. Cronholm, President Gregory Williams, and Provost Zeev Dagan were all unresponsive to inquiries on this matter.
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