New Library Brings Relaxed Studying Area

But students who have been at UNC long enough to remember the Undergraduate Library before it underwent renovation might characterize it as more of a hangout than a place to study.

"I remember going in there with bags of chips and drinks," senior Alisha Forbes said. "The rules were less strict. It wasn't as formal as Davis or the other libraries."

With the Undergrad reopening Monday after almost two years of construction, students might again be able to study in a more relaxed environment.

Junior Alice Koethe said she remembers the Undergrad as more of a lounge than a library.

"All it was was people socializing and sleeping," she said. "I went there a couple of times to sleep."

Leah McGinnis, assistant head of the Undergraduate, said the new renovations created a more sophisticated atmosphere without sacrificing comfort.

"I don't think that it will necessarily be a conservative space, but it's definitely more elegant than the Undergraduate Library of before," McGinnis said.

Junior Liz Veazy said the atmosphere of the Undergrad prior to renovation was conducive to group study and that she hopes it will be the same when it reopens.

"It would be nice to have study groups and stuff in the new library," she said.

McGinnis said accommodating groups was a focus in the new design.

"When the building was redesigned, they paid careful attention to creating spaces to get together in groups," she said.

While the library will resume its previous 24-hour schedule, the food and drink policy will be more stringent.

"We'll allow drinks in approved containers like in Davis, but we really won't allow food," McGinnis said.

"We think that the building has a certain elegance and that people will respect that."

But even if the atmosphere in the Undergrad will not be exactly as it was before, some students said it will be nice to have another option besides Davis Library.

"Davis is so formal and quiet," Forbes said. "It will be nice to have a more comfortable alternative."

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