Bostock (BAH-stock)Library makes freshmen like Katie Anderson want to study.
Officials have said the new library was designed with users in mind-and it shows. Students point to lighting, computers and seating as their favorite upgrades. The crisp fluorescent lighting means you'll never have to hunt around the Gothic Reading Room for an old lamp just so you can see your math problems. The first floor and basement are loaded with computers and e-print machines to help with homework or provide much-needed study breaks.
The new addition is also nicer on the behind than Perkins-plush benches and chairs are littered throughout the five-story facility.
Bostock-happy librarians and easy-to-use maps for the stacks available at the reference desk ensure you won't get lost on your way to Perkins to fulfill your graduation requirements.
With all the upgrades, students are naturally flocking to the 'Stock. Library usage is up about 30 percent from last spring according to data on how many people enter the building and how many questions staff at the reference desk receive.
Second-, third- and fourth-floor reading rooms fill up around 8 p.m. on a typical weeknight, students say. Because of increased demand, Bostock now stays open until 4 a.m. Sunday through Thursday nights.
Students have complained about the popularity, however, and many said they hope the novelty of the new facility wears off soon. Divinity student Chris Klopp, who found his own niche on the fourth floor on a Tuesday afternoon, says that although it is busier, it is easier to find your own personal study spot than it is in Perkins.
Although it might be more difficult to find your comfy personal Bostock bubble on a weeknight, many students say the atmosphere in Bostock is much quieter than Perkins. "The librarians at the public service desk have noticed that students themselves are making it a quiet space for studying," librarian Ilene Nelson says.
For a louder, more social space, students can grab some coffee, cake or a sandwich from Mad Hatter's, located in the von der Heyden (VON-DER-HAI-dun) Pavilion, Duke's brand new glass house.
This summer, Bostock's circulation and reference desks will move back to the newly renovated first floor of Perkins. All the internal walls will be torn down, and the redesign will incorporate more open spaces and natural light, becoming more like Bostock, Nelson says.
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