The library would relocate to different places on campus if the college sells the 624 S. Michigan building that currently houses it, its director told the Chronicle in an exclusive interview.
No place on campus is big enough for everything currently housed on the library’s five floors, said Jo Cates, director of the library. “I can’t imagine a place on campus that would hold us right now.”
But it would not close.
“The idea of us moving isn’t upsetting,” Cates said. “Except for the fact that nobody wants to move a library.
President and CEO Kwang-Wu Kim has proposed to sell both the 624 S. Michigan building and his residence in the Gold Coast neighborhood.
The recommendations are part of a draft advisory report the Board of Trustees requested to address the $38 million deficit.
“Should it happen and if there is a buyer, we have to be very nimble about getting our act together to get moving,” Cates said.
In an interview with the Chronicle earlier this month, Kim said the sale of the building is not imminent because the commercial real estate market in Chicago is at a historic low.
The 15-story 624 S. Michigan building was constructed by Eckstorm in 1908 and originally housed the Chicago Music College. Columbia purchased the building in 1990. In addition to the library, the building also has department offices, faculty lounges, the college’s bookstore and classrooms.
About 86 courses are being held in the building this semester, with class sizes ranging from 12 to 41 students. Some of the courses include “Writing and Rhetoric I” and “Foundations of Creative Writing” and “Introduction to Cultural Studies.”
In addition to books and other resources, the library has a food pantry on the second floor, with snacks, granola bars and fresh fruit. Cates said it was created to address some of the food insecurity on campus. Donors donate snacks, and anyone is welcome to help themselves.
“What we love about it is that it’s anonymous, ” Cates said. “You don’t have to just put your name down anywhere. You don’t have to sign up for anything. If you need some sustenance to get you through class or something because you didn’t have breakfast.”
The college’s library, which includes archives, computers and printers and study rooms, is open about 75 hours a week Monday through Saturday.
According to Cates, during the fall 2023 semester, 71% of the student body visited the library at some point and that’s a number that she is always trying to increase in order to serve as many students as possible.
“You walk in, and you should feel like this is your space, and that you can walk around and feel good about being you and make use of these resources and talk to us and tell us what your needs are,” Cates said.
The 624 S. Michigan library holds approximately 200,000 volumes, which Cates said is proportionally good to the amount of students enrolled at the college.
Although the library may have to relocate there isn’t much concern about the library being eliminated completely.
“I wouldn’t mind leaving the building,” Cates said. “It’s on Columbia’s list of underperforming buildings. And it’s not that it doesn’t have good bones, but it’s, it’s a little beat up and it was never built to house a library. So we’ve over the years had to manage floor load issues and things.”
When Cates first started at the college in 2001 that meant for every book added one had to go. “It was believed that the weight of the library was kind of pushing us down to the sand,” she said.“Wherever we move, we would first and foremost have to deal with the load, the structure, you know, that issue, and the college is well aware of that.”
Cates said if the library moves, the college will have to think about what portion of the collection will go to a new space and what would go in storage. It also would need to hire professional library movers.
What students are saying:
For some students it isn’t just about the resources available but about the energy of the space.
Daria Gaiter, a senior fashion studies major, said she uses the library about three times a week, mainly for the food library but also as a place to print and do homework in between classes. “I like the peace and quiet that I have here,” she said.
Gaiter said if the building is sold she’s not sure where all the resources will move to. “It’ll just be really inconvenient if they close it down,” she said in reference to its close proximity to the on campus housing she lives in.
Leia Jones, a first-year fine arts major who works in the library said her main responsibilities include working the front desk and restocking books. “I love books,” she said. “So that was one of the reasons why I applied here.”
Jones said compared to the Student Center the library setting is more quiet and less packed. “Everybody who works here is very friendly along with the students,” Jones said.
“I mean it’s just like a really good and positive environment.”
Copy edited by Patience Hurston
