The second floor lounge of Lauinger Library will be closed for renovation from this coming Monday until the end of the semester. This renovation, supported by the library and Students of Georgetown, Inc., will include the installation of a new coffeehouse, “The Midnight Mug,” more comfortable seating, new flooring and paint and better lighting.
The renovation is a response to a survey distributed by the library and the Corp in December 2001. Students expressed interest in a coffee shop and gathering place within the library, said Associate University Librarian Mark Jacobs.
“A typical comment was, ‘Just do it before I graduate,’” Jacobs said.
“We chose to do this project because we feel that it is something that the Georgetown student body and community both want and need,” Corp Vice President for Operations Leslie Baldwin (CAS ‘04) said. “Opening this service would be a way for the Corp to fulfill the motto ‘Students serving students.’”
According to Jacobs, the library and the Corp decided on the second floor for the new lounge and coffee shop because the second floor is already the most social floor of the library.
“We are taking steps as part of the renovation to reduce noise which may originate in the room,” Jacobs said.
The new lounge will provide students with a better atmosphere and give them easier access to coffee when studying or walking across campus, according to Baldwin.
The lounge will hopefully draw more students to the library and its resources, according to one of the librarians.
The vending machines that are currently in the lounge will be replaced with a wide variety of drinks and some food items offered by Midnight Mug. Two of the vending machines were removed earlier this week, although the coffee machine was still in place as of Wednesday.
The Corp and the library said that they plan on hosting several events each month for students.
“We are working with Lauinger Library to create a space where student art work, music, writing and other intellectual and artistic endeavors can be showcased,” Baldwin said.
