Library Continues Construction: What’s Next?

By Hail Orecchio

Journalism I Student

The Learning Commons under renovation. Photo by staff writer. 

As many have already noticed, the college library at Sussex County Community College in Newton has been closed for construction this semester. 

While this may be a hassle to work around for most students with finding resources and a quiet place to study, Kathleen Carr, assistant dean of Library and EOF Resources, assures the SCCC community that the new Learning Commons, being put in place of the library, will be bigger, better, and a new hub for learning at the college. 

Students, faculty, and staff can expect to see these new Learning Commons by mid-February. It will include the Writing Center, the Math Science Center, the Computer Room, and the Testing Center. Each center will include its own study rooms as well as study rooms for individual use outside of these centers. 

“President Homer had a vision for that space,” Carr says. The idea of everything being under one umbrella is being made a reality, and this will give students easier access to the resources that they need in order to complete their degrees with confidence.

A common popularity with the library was the communal study area, which Carr assures will still be there with new and improved furniture. Not only will there be group study spaces, but the learning commons will also have sections for individual studying rather than just the single tables with computers. 

“There are areas up there now where you can literally just spread yourself out and find a little corner to yourself,” Carr explains, sharing the exciting new renovations to this optimal study space.

These smaller individual study areas will maximize the space and are very much needed. There will now be a spot for everyone to study.

The closing of such an important space at SCCC was addressed by a fellow student, Ximena Malpica, who says she would have benefited from the library being open this semester. 

“I focus more on a place that is quiet and where people don’t know me,” she explains. As someone who has been demoted to the loud and busy cafeteria to find a table to sit and study at, the new learning commons will be super beneficial to Malpica, along with the other students at SCCC. 

Now, February is still a long way away, and even though the Learning Commons will be worth it, it is important to utilize the resources available to access at SCCC right now. For those looking for a place to study, Carr suggests finding the little nooks and crannies throughout campus to avoid the constant buzz of the cafeteria. 

“E Building is a ghost town, really,” she says. “There are little nooks and crannies in E, especially on the lower level.”

The lower level of the E-building. Photo by staff writer.

On the hunt for a spot to study? Building A is also a great spot where there are both large and small study areas.  

With a new space dedicated to learning, these new learning commons will be exactly what the college needs.