Brown's Sciences Library just may be the most talked-about building on campus. Some love its functional modern countenance, some hate its incongruousness with the small shops of Thayer, and some just appreciate its function as a repository for public art. Love it or hate it, the SciLi is a favorite topic of conversation. Soon, the towering concrete structure may also be a favorite hangout spot.
The University announced Saturday its plans to build a new 24-hour study space in the bottom of the SciLi. The announcement came after the February Corporation meeting, in which the Corporation accepted a $5 million donation from Susan Friedman '77 and Richard Friedman '79, $4 million of which will go to the new Friedman Study Center.
The Study Center will occupy approximately 14,000 square feet on the basement, first and second floors of the library, according to David Greene, vice president for campus life and student services.
The new center will help fulfill student desire for more 24-hour study spaces. "Study centers, study spaces have been a fairly high priority in the Initiatives for Academic Enrichment and with students," said Mark Nickel, director of the Brown News Service.
According to Greene, the SciLi is a prime location for such spaces. As part of a study of Brown's physical campus, the Office of Campus Life and Student Services and architectural firm Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates evaluated "how important (the SciLi) was for students in how they live their lives and where they're traversing morning, noon and night," Greene said. The study pinpointed the library as a hub of student activity and likely candidate for improvements.
The library was singled out because of its potential for open space, Greene said. Although the plans for the center are still in the preliminary stage - no architect has been hired for the job - construction will probably include moving the office of circulation and other administrative offices that currently operate on the building's ground floor, he said. In their place, the new center will house "a very open, interactive space, possibly with a café," Greene said. The basement and second-floor mezzanine will also be turned into open spaces for studying and meetings.
The new study area will not serve as a student center, another potential campus improvement identified in the physical campus study. In addition to new and revitalized study spaces and the construction of a student center, the study suggested renovating the Sharpe Refectory and building a new fitness center. Of the four major areas of improvement identified in the study, "two of them we're getting under way," Greene said.
In deciding to construct the new center, "one of the things we really wanted to do is identify projects we could start right away," he said.
Time was a major consideration for the Friedmans, too. Richard Friedman said that when he and Susan Friedman began discussing possible projects for their donation, the study center was appealing because students would be able to use it relatively soon.
According to Greene, a student center would take many years to complete, whereas the study center will be an asset to current students.
Friedman said he wanted to invest in a project with tangible benefits, "a distinctive one that you can really see and feel."
In order to create open space, some SciLi materials will be relocated to Brown's new Libraries Collection Annex about four miles from campus. Some of these materials include science periodicals, many of which are now online, Greene said. Librarians will evaluate which materials students use infrequently and choose the materials to be relocated accordingly, he said.
Although the study space's date of completion is not certain, Greene called the project "one of those near-term improvements that will have a significant impact on students who are here now."
Friedman echoed this sentiment, saying he was glad current students will be able to reap the center's benefits. He said creating a tangible improvement that current students will be able to enjoy greatly appealed to him.
"Plus, the SciLi hadn't changed in 25 years," he said.
