University of California Los Angeles - Bruin Life / Southern Campus Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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FEATURE POWELL LIBRARY By Matthew Heyn On September 24, before hundreds of students and alumni, Chancellor Charles Young rededicated Powell Library, ending four long years of renovations totaling $35.5 million. Powell Library (named after Lawrence Powell, UCLA ' s most notable librarian) closed in 1992, badly in need of renovations and seismic refitting. The original seismic project had been completed only three days before the Northridge earthquake, which severely damaged the ceiling of the main reading room, and weakened the walls. U.C. officials were faced with two choices: building a new ceiling, losing the 67 year old crowning glory of Powell, or going through the expensive process of restoring all 1 1,872 square feet of it, piece by piece. UCLA, under pressure from preservation societies, finally opted to restore the ceiling, spending $6 million dollars in the process. Over 2,000 pieces were carefully taken down, documented, and restored to their original beauty. Meticulous care was given toward historical preservation, earning UCLA the state ' s only preservation honor, the Governor ' s Historic Preservation Award. In addition, the renovation provided new book storage space, reading rooms, an outdoor garden, and a sturdy construction frame to ensure against future California tremors. In A Passion for Books Lawrence Powell once said, To enter a library, no matter its kind or size, is to enter the heart of the whirlwind. He obviously knew just how busy his namesake would be. Day after day, Powell ' s reading room the second largest reading room in the nation was constantly filled. During finals, many students had trouble getting seats. The 92 workstations in the computer lab were even more popular. According to library science graduate student, Paula Zeszotarski, I ' ve seen more people here than in Towell. The computers have been incredibly busy. She says that while check-out has n ot significantly increased, the terminals have been busy because they have Netscape, Bruin On-line and URSA On-line. Besides the appeal of Powell ' s resources, students are also drawn to its elegant exterior. The decorative, Romanesque architecture of the building made the short waits for workstations and reading room seats insignificant, especially when compared to the unsuitable atmosphere in Towell. Bruins had to endure its inconvenient presence for nearly four years. Steve Wallace, a third year microbiology major said, [Powell Library] is a good, quiet place to study. It ' s comfortable, it ' s modern, and it ' s a lot nicer place to study than Towell was. Towell was noisy, and it felt like I was studying in a tin can. It was more like a high school library than a college library. Opening the library has also changed the atmosphere of Royce Quad (the quad formed by Haines, Powell, Royce and Kinsey). In addition to taking down the fences, a fountain was added, making it a very hospitable environment. According to Paula Zeszotarski, [The renovation] has changed this part of campus. It ' s changed the whole quality of life. This used to be no-man ' s land. Now it ' s the best part of campus! 24

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rrf CAMPUS Revival UCLA has been hidden behind scaffolding long enough. Finally, the beauty and majesty of the campus can fully be appreciated. Royce Hall and Powell Library revealed their Romanesque architecture to the public. The new Ackerman also underwent a transformation, becoming a more modern facility. Although Kerckhoff remained masked behind construction boards, its coffeehouse renovations were completed this year.

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CAMPUS REVIVAL . Students lake advantage ol the many 25