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Hub of campus life: UTEP library celebrates 40 years serving student needs [1]

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Date: 2024-10-23

Like many students at the University of Texas at El Paso, Emily Gonzalez knew that the campus library existed, but did not fully comprehend all the resources that made it an academic Swiss Army Knife.

Gonzalez, a senior microbiology major, said that she initially only used the University Library to study and do homework. As time went on, she began to use the computer lab and printers, get science help at the Miner Learning Center, congregate with friends – and check out books. She also admitted to using it to take the occasional nap.

Emily Gonzalez is a senior microbiology major. She likes the University Library as a place to study between classes and because of its accessible resources to include the computer lab and the Miner Learning Center. (Daniel Perez/El Paso Matters)

“I learned about (the library) during orientation, but I really learned about it through word of mouth,” said Gonzalez, a transfer student from Transmountain Early College High School. She is on campus four days a week this semester and spends a lot of time between classes at the library. “I still haven’t taken advantage of everything.”

The University Library, which once mainly served as a book depository, transitioned to a more dynamic destination under the leadership of Robert Stakes, the former associate vice president and director who retired in August after 19 years in charge.

The library, at six floors and almost 290,000 square feet, looks like an imposing Bhutanese-style fortress, but it is an engaging hub of campus life. The building celebrated its 40th anniversary Oct. 12.

To commemorate the occasion, the library hosted a lecture about the historical significance of the building and libraries on campus earlier this month. It also set up a month-long exhibit on the third floor of some of the original chairs used when the building opened.

Students enter the UTEP library to study, socialize, and buy coffee. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)

The building’s amenities experienced a rebirth in 2005 with Stakes’ arrival. He promoted the ideas of extended hours, an eatery and a computer lab on the second floor that at one time numbered as many as 350.

Among the other accoutrements are the Academic Advising Center, the Math Tutoring Center, the University Writing Center, and the Technology Support Center. These are in addition to its many assortments of government documents, archives and Special Collections of Borderland history. The library also holds and subscribes to more than 1.6 million physical items and over 2 million digital items.

Even before Stakes’ arrival, the library displayed the works of noted artists such as Tom Lea and José Cisneros. There are more than 200 art pieces on permanent display to include a huge hand-woven Bhutanese tapestry, “Four Friends,” that is displayed in the second-floor atrium.

Robert Stakes, the recently retired associate vice president and director of the library, helped transform the University Library into a multifaceted destination centered on student success. (Daniel Perez/El Paso Matters)

“The library should be one of the most accommodating and welcoming spaces on campus,” Stakes said during an interview conducted before his retirement.

Prior to the transformation, the library counted about 653,000 visitors during the 2005-06 academic year. That number increased to almost 1.04 million five years later. According to the UTEP Friends of the Library, the building is used more than 975,000 times annually by students, faculty, staff and community members.

Stakes said that he based the library enhancements on the “Learning Commons” model that takes student needs into account. Through observation and student surveys, he learned that users wanted a place to eat, study alone or in groups, be tutored and/or advised, and a place to relax with strong Wi-Fi. The interest in group activities as well as the coming of online and digitized information were among the reasons he replaced more bookshelves with group tables and advising space.

“The students drove these changes,” he said.

Students study, socialize, and have coffee in UTEP’s library. (Corrie Boudreaux/El Paso Matters)

Stakes said the library would continue to “weed out” content that no longer served a purpose. One example he gave was copies of academic journals that have been digitized. The hard copies, if needed, could be ordered through a joint library run by the University of Texas and the Texas A&M University systems. By removing those materials, the library could reallocate the vacated space.

Harvey Castellano, interim dean of the UTEP library, said that the library would continue Stakes’ vision of being open to better student service.

“That will carry us for a while,” Castellano said.

Among the admirers of UTEP’s library transformation is Dean Hendrix, vice provost and university librarian at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Hendrix was identified in 2014 as one of the world’s top 20 librarian contributors to library and information science literature.

Hendrix said Stakes efforts elevated the library from the traditional to the dynamic and set a strong foundation for its future. The reimagination is part of a national trend among university libraries to address the diverse and changing needs of students and the campus community.

He said the library’s integration of technology, academic support services and shared spaces fosters a more encompassing educational environment for students from all disciplines.

“These changes reflect the broader shift in libraries becoming not just centers of academic resources, but also places for collaboration, support and community,” Hendrix said.

Juan Martinez, a sophomore business administration major at UTEP, said he likes to use the University Library because there are quiet areas that make is a perfect place to concentrate on his homework. (Daniel Perez/El Paso Matters)

Juan Martinez, a sophomore business administration major, said he practically lives at the library during semesters because it is the perfect place to study, do homework and practice presentations. Through the semesters, he has learned to appreciate the advising center, group study rooms, tech support and the Texas Western Café. He likes the coffee, but wishes it had more substantial food options.

“I’m a heavy eater,” the Franklin High School graduate said during a break from his chemistry homework.

This is the university’s fourth library. The first was in Old Main, but it later moved to what is now Vowell Hall. The next major move was in 1938 to what is now the Geological Sciences Building, but because of the lack of space, the campus instituted “branch” libraries to accommodate science, nursing, education and engineering students.

In the early 1980s, then UTEP President Haskell Monroe secured a commitment from the University of Texas System Board of Regents to fund the new library building. The building opened at a cost of $23 million. When adjusted for inflation, the amount would be almost $70 million today.

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[1] Url: http://elpasomatters.org/2024/10/23/utep-university-library-anniversary-robert-stakes-dean-hendrix/

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