Road blocks interfered with our walks to class. Loud noises blared at seemingly all hours of the morning. But finally, Ursinus’s library renovations were finished.
The goal of the renovations was, presumably, to provide a student union-style first floor, combining student life and career offices into one easy-to-navigate system. With this came the move of the Institute for Student Success (ISS) and the Office of Disability and Accessibility into an office near the Main Street entrance of Myrin, as well as the Career and Professional Development center towards the other entrance. The renovation also added centrally-located offices for APEX advisors. These additions bring a lot of new opportunities for ease, efficiency, and excitement in the coming years.
The Myrin Library has been part of Ursinus’ history from the beginnings of the school itself. Before it was built, the site was occupied by Freeland Seminary, which included Freeland Hall and, later, Stein Hall. Eventually, the Seminary was purchased by the college and transformed into dormitories; a third wing, Derr Hall, was added. Later on, around the 100-year anniversary of its purchase, it became apparent that the area was out of date and needed a modern touch. This is how the original Myrin Library came to be, in order to introduce an all-encompassing library open to every student. After these more recent upgrades, it is evident that these new renovations have a similar goal: make Myrin a better fit for students’ needs.
After adding so many resources, like the aforementioned labs and offices, the school hopes students will know exactly where to go when they need help. The goal is that these resources create an exciting and intellectually cultivating environment where the UC community can go for whatever reason.
Hopefully, the first floor of Myrin opens paths to a more integrated space for the student body to hang out for studious and social reasons.
