Revamped Study Area For Students
LaGuardia Community College formally acknowledged Queens Borough President Helen Marshall last Thursday, Sept. 27, for the role she played in securing $6 million for the expansion of the Long Island City campus’ library.
With Marshall’s financial support, the college announced, it will be expanding its 36,620-square-foot library to the second floor allowing for an increase of 58 percent of library space and a 75 percent increase in total student seating.
“Borough President Helen Marshall has been an extraordinary friend and long-time supporter of La- Guardia Community College,” said Dr. Gail O. Mellow, president of La- Guardia. “Her tireless advocacy and deep passion for higher education is limitless. By securing funding for our research and learning facilities, Borough President Marshall is making sure that the more than 50,000 students at LaGuardia, and our community, have state-of-the-art facilities where they can study and engage in research.”
“Libraries, a place where student come for quiet study and for expanded research, are especially important for community college students who frequently do not have quiet place to study at home,” added Iris Weinstall, CUNY vice chancellor for facilities, planning, construction and management.
“Under the leadership of President Gail Mellow, LaGuardia Community College has expanded programs and attracted a diverse student body that needs resources and space to continue its pursuit of knowledge and success,” said Marshall. “That’s why I’ve allocated $5 million to more than double the size of the library and another million dollars to be used to relocate the Humanities Department. These investments in the future will yield a great dividend.”
Gruzen Samton LLP Architects Planners has designed an open, airy space whose glass walls will allow natural light to stream into the area. The new second floor space will accommodate 312 new seats. Students will be able to study in the 56-seat Thomson Reading Room, the 30-seat media lab, the 30-seat circulation and open study space and the 142-seat courtyard reading room, while groups of four to six students will be able to meet in the 11 group study rooms.
All the student seats will be wired with both power and data connections in addition to expanding the Wi- Fi service.
Before construction can begin, the present second-floor occupants, The Humanities Department, will be moved to its new space in the College’s C-building. The Queens Borough President’s office allocated $1 million out of the total $6 million package for this project.
Shahir Erfan, the executive director of facilities, management and planning, said the move is planned to be completed by the fall of 2013 and, immediately thereafter, construction of the library will begin.
