M Stentorian
vol. XXXIV, issue 4
North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
November 2014
stentorianl23@gmail.com
A new chapter for NCSSM Library
By Addy Liu
Feature Editor
Over the past three years,
NCSSM’s library has gone
through an astonishing yet
largely unnoticed transforma-'
tion due to the gradual step-
by-step process through which
these changes occurred.
The changes were overseen
by libraiy director Robin
Boltz, who still remembers
the moment she first entered
the library in 2012. Greeted
by rows of VHS tapes and
cassettes, she recalls thinking,
“This is a library from 1990.”
She thus began an extensive
three-year renovation that
brought together the efforts
and input of many, including
the student body, the faculty,
and the administration, as
well as others outside of the
NCSSM umbrella.
Surveys, both online and
conducted through one-on-
one interviews, revealed that
the primary things students
collectively wanted in their
school library were more places
for group work and more quiet
places for individual work.
Space was made a priority.
Things were rearranged to
minimize clutter and maximize
floor space. The collection of
shelved books was condensed
to tree up more space as well.
Shelves were turned 90
degrees to provide a clear line
of vision from the front of the
library to the back, for both
visual and safety purposes.
The carpet was changed from
a dull grey color to a blue.
Certain areas of the walls were
repainted a cream color to
brighten up the space.
The circulation desk was
replaced.
“The old circulation desk
was very tall,” Boltz said. “It
seemed like a barrier. I think
the library should be inviting
and fnendly, because it’s
basically a student center.”
Those working on the
remodeling of the library
focused espeeially on the
opening up of space toward the
front of the library. Today, there
is a group of rocking chairs
arranged in a circle there, as
well as chair-and-table pods
on wheels that are particularly
conducive to collaborative
work.
The format ofthe redesigned
library is now designed so that
the noise level decreases as
one moves from the front of
the library to the back. Past
the smart bar and circulation
desk are the areas for group
work, after which come the
conference rooms and glass
paneled rooms.
Further down, there are egg
chairs and the carrels - the
desks with high sides - and
finally, the student-monitored
quiet space. This sound
tapering design is particularly
effective in the evenings,
when there is the highest
concentration of students in
the library. Most importantly,
this design addresses both
of the students’ priorities -
collaborative space and quiet
space.
The goal was to create
less of a library and more of
a ‘learning commons,’ which
Boltz explained is a library
that is rich in technology that
also has collaborative space.
Accordingly, not only were
white boards and new furniture
added to the conference rooms
but also flat-panel monitors that
students can hook their laptops
and tablets to for presentation
practice. Additionally, only
in the last two years have
students been able to reserve
eonference rooms through the
online system.
More recent additions to
the library include the already
beloved egg chairs meant to
replace the heavy wooden
carrels which library staff'
Tribble the guinea pig is
another recent addition to the
library, and exemplifies the
thorough approach that was
taken during the renovation
process. When asked, an
overwhelming majority of
students said they missed their
pets more than they missed
their parents; they could
always talk to their parents on
the phone but had to actually
go home to be with their pets.
For this reason, Boltz went
provoked, do not provoke
allergies unless they are
touehed or if someone is
cleaning their cages and are
low-maintenance pets on the
same sleep cycle as humans.
The sweeping changes
made to the library in the last
three years were funded from
a variety of sources. “We are
probably never going to have
this much money again,” Boltz
commented.
Research and implementa
tion of the comprehensive
changes made to NCSSM’s
library was not an individ
ual project by any means,
Boltz was sure to add.
Among the people she said
it could not have been done
3 without are Keith Beisner,
i5 who planned the shifting of
Z shelves, Anthony Miles and
'£ Melissa Cox for making
^ purchases, Gary Covington
I >, ahtt'lffjr facftitles crew for
® helping get the project oft'
g the ground, Mike Mitch-
“ ell for installing new and
o brighter light fixtures in the
Iq- beginning, Andrea Smythe
The Borden-Mace Library’s layout was changed last year to create for collecting student input
an acoustically and aesthetically ideal environment for learning.
noted were really only used
during exams. There used to
be forty of such carrels, which
provide visual isolation; now
there are four, freeing up even
more floor space.
The egg chairs are
an immensely popular
improvement over the carrels,
providing not only visual,
but also sound isolation. For
this reason, the egg chairs are
spaced out in the back of the
library and are meant to be
used for quiet individual work.
on what a “one-person crusade”
spanning about a year, during
which she repeatedly asked
Chancellor Todd Roberts for
a library pet, even saying she
would name it ‘Chancellor.’
F.ventually named for its cute
noises reminiscent of the
creatures featured in vintage
Star Trek, Tribble is a Durham
County Animal Shelter rescue.
Boltz explained that she
wanted a guinea pig for the
library because guinea pigs
do not bite unless seriously
and Roberts for his support.
At the end of it all, the
NCSSM library has emerged
an utterly new, infinitely
more functional learning
center through the efforts of
a vast number of people. The
degree to which the library
has transformed has largely
escaped the attention of the
general NCSSM population,
which became accustomed to
the small, gradual changes as
they came.
To be sure, no one entering
NCSSM’s library today would
think of it as outdated.
Spirit Week draws iess students;
Pep Raiiy, Mixer cancelied
By Sierra Dunne
Editor-in-Chief
The beginning of second
trimester also brought about
the beginning of Spirit Week at
NCSSM. Spirit week is hosted
by Student Government and
consists of different themed
days where students dress up
in unusual ways. This year,
the themes were Decades Day,
School Spirit Day, Opposites
Day and Icon
day.
Spirit Week
is meant to be
a time for stu
dents to show
of their school
spirit at the start
of the basket
ball season and for students to
celebrate this year, a pep rally
was planned for Wednesday’s
meeting block and a two hour
mixer was planned for Friday
night during the week after
first trimester break.
One significant change to
Spirit Week was the removal
of Gender Bender Day, when
students would dress up as a
different gender for the day.
It was removed after concerns
the day was insensitive to
the issues of the transgender
community.
However, this year’s Spirit
Week didn’t seem to have the
same impact as it has had in
previous years. Only a fraction
of the student body participat
ed at all and out of those that
did an even smaller fraction
participated in all four days.
Last year, this school-wide
event took place much earlier
during first trimester and it had
significantly more participa
tion. This year, students just
did not seem interested.
“I didn’t participate because
the days last year just seemed
more fun, and it was earlier last
year too,” said senior Kennedy
Bridges.
Besides students’ disin
terest, other factors kept the
week-long event from tak
ing full effect. The pep rally,
which was supposed to occur
that Wednesday during School
Spirit Day in order to recog
nize the fall and winter sports
teams, was moved to the fol
lowing Wednesday. The next
week it was called oft' alto
gether due to “too many can
cellations from participants
and other important people,”
according to SG. The mixer
that planned for that Friday
was also canceled.
There were several schedul
ing problems that affected the
successful implementation of
this year’s Spirit Week. Many
staff members and faculty did
not even know it was happen
ing, which was disappointing
to those who wanted to partici
pate. When asked about how
he felt this Spirit Week went.
Head of Programming Com
mittee Erick Aguilar declined
to comment.
While various factors
caused this week to be a bit
less spirited than usual, overall
students still found it interest
ing and enjoyable.
“1 thought the themes for
each day were more creative
than they ever were at my
old school,” said junior Juleo
Amosah. This Spirit Week
might not have lived up to ex
pectations, but students who
participated were still excited
to get to experience an impor
tant part of NCSSM culture.