To: Dr. Vincent Boudreu, President, City College

From: Student Javier Pujols

Subject: Connecting the upper levels of the NAC to the Library

Date: February 29, 2024

I am writing to bring to your attention, the need for a direct physical connection between the upper floors of the North Academic Center and the Library. This deficit disrupts the smooth flow of academic activity and raises accessibility and convenience issues for students and faculty. 

Summary

The library’s limited accessibility has caused substantial congestion in the halls and rotunda. To solve this issue, I presented practical solutions centered on creating more access points. I look forward to discussing these ideas with you at your earliest convenience.

Discussion

The North Academic Center is a central hub hosting numerous classes and faculty offices.

The Library serves a vital role in student’s academic careers supporting research and academic endeavors. As well as a commonplace students used to wait for the next class.

However, there is only one entrance to the Library forcing students to take long and unnecessary detours just to reach the library. 

I have been a victim of this issue on many occasions where I would get out of class on the fifth floor and have to take a long walk all the way down to the second floor just to simply enter the library, when in the library I would go to the fourth floor. Or when I am outside in front of Amsterdam Ave and only want to go to the library, I would have to go down to go back up.

Solution: To improve library accessibility and functioning, the Architecture and Engineering department can work together to design a new entrance on level five that connects smoothly to the fourth library floor. On the south side of the NAC, there can be an entrance to the level five Library floor. Creating less populating hallways through the entire building

The entrance to the writing center would also be a perfect entrance to the library considering it is right underneath the library. With this entrance, students would not have to go down to the second floor to go up to the library. Furthermore, the same security for the writing center can also be used for access to the library. The library will have multi-purpose spaces that can accommodate a variety of study demands, including movable furniture and soundproofing for focused study. Outdoor seating will be available throughout the warmer months, with power outlets and Wi-Fi. We will prioritize accessibility and security while also involving the community and embracing sustainable design principles. 

Recommendation

I strongly believe that with these ideas and concepts, we can adopt a more efficient, accessible, and convenient design that would benefit everyone on campus. Preventing congestion throughout the halls, and a less stressful environment. I kindly request a follow-up meeting to further discuss my proposal.