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The Beginning of the End
Paul Kobulnicky
Director, University Libraries
The Class of 1998 and I both came to the University of Connecticut in September 1994. On our arrival we were greeted by the sight of a major research library shrouded in plastic, barricaded behind chain link fences and scaffolding, and projecting an air, at least symbolically, of unwelcome. Once inside the Babbidge Library we found excellent services being provided by an enthusiastic and dedicated staff. But we also discovered that the structural problems of the building, and the noise, dirt, and fumes associated with correcting them, impinged directly or indirectly, on the interior of the building. The roof had been leaking for a long time without adequate repair. Carpeting and wall treatments were shabby with age. These and other significant repairs and upgrades to the interior were deferred awaiting the "big fix."
Finally, in May of 1997, with final funding for the project now approved by the state, reconstruction of the Babbidge Library is moving inexorably toward completion. Much work remains to be done, but the end is in sight; real and lasting change is before us. I now invite all of you as members of the broad University of Connecticut community to join with me and my colleagues in a new beginning for both the library and the university.
We look forward to the formal rededication of Babbidge Library in the Fall of 1998. The rededication ceremonies will be an opportunity for the library, the university, and the state to emerge from the shadow of the old Babbidge Library and to make a strong and positive statement about our vision for the university's future. United with the Thomas J Dodd Research Center, the renovated library will draw even greater attention to the center of campus, the heart of the university. Together, these two facilities will establish a standard of excellence to which the university and the state can point with pride.
This transition is an opportunity for campus-wide celebration. My colleagues and I hope that as many of you as possible will have a role in this new beginning. The state is fully funding the exterior of the building, a new north entrance pavilion, and the structural shell of the interior plaza level. However, it is our goal to rededicate the entire building as though it were new--inside and out. Wall treatments and floor coverings must be upgraded, telecommunication infrastructure and computing equipment must be enhanced, worn furnishings must be replaced. Funding for much of this will come from the university and through significant efforts from the UConn Foundation. But major funding efforts such as these do not fully engage our community.
My dream is to come to the podium on the day of the rededication to read a nearly endless list of administrators, deans, faculty, and staff; academic departments, fraternities, sororities, clubs, and service organizations; students; alumni; library friends and associates; businesses and citizens; all of whom have contributed something, no matter how small, to the new Babbidge Library. I want to read a list that demonstrates to the citizens of Connecticut that the entire UConn community is committed to renewing its library as a facility of such obvious quality that our memories of noise, dust, and fumes will immediately fade, replaced by a facility that welcomes us inside and invites us to stay. We owe this much to the members of the Class of 1998 who will have experienced their entire undergraduate career with the Homer Babbidge Library under construction.
I'll be calling on you.
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