A construction crew will be working from midnight-9 a.m. Oct. 31 through Thanksgiving break. During this time, half-walls will be installed to separate the coffee area from the rest of the fourth floor.

Students will be able to study on the fourth floor. However, they may experience some noise from construction.

During Thanksgiving break, the crew will work during the day and cut an existing concrete floor so water lines and other needed utilities for the coffee shop may be installed. While students and employees may continue to use the library, it is expected to be noisier than usual on the second and fourth floors, and people may want to use the Evansdale Library or the White Hall computer lab instead.

The WVU community’s patience is appreciated during this project.

They offer full service during this period, including reference and access to restricted materials such as manuscripts, recordings, microfilm, etc.

The new hours are:

Mon-Sat 10am – 5pm
Tues 5pm – 9pm

The West Virginia and Regional History Collection is located on the sixth floor of the Charles C. Wise, Jr. Library, accessible through the Downtown Campus Library. It contains the largest collection of West Virginia materials in existence.

Sip on this. WVU students and employees will soon be able to enjoy a latte at the library.

Plans are in place to construct a coffee shop, complete with Starbucks products and food items, in the bay window area on the fourth floor of the Downtown Campus Library.

Construction on Eliza’s is set to begin Nov. 1 and should be completed by mid-February, Student Body President D.J. Casto announced during the Oct. 12 student Board of Governors meeting.

The coffee shop is named after Eliza J. Skinner, the first professionally trained librarian at WVU. She served as library director from 1897 until 1902, when she accepted a position with the Library of Congress.

Casto said the area will be large enough to seat 45 people, feature café-style tables and chairs and blend into the library’s existing decor.

Bookshelves will line some of the walls and house the current topics reading collection, and a limited number of newspapers may also be available for patron reading.

Hot and cold espresso drinks, freshly brewed gourmet coffee and tea, blended drinks to order, Italian sodas, hot chocolate, and bottled soft drinks, juice and water will be available for purchase. Eliza’s will also offer snacks.

Equipment and personnel are being provided by WVU Dining Services.

Tentative hours are Sunday-Wednesday from 3 p.m.-midnight and Thursday from 3-9 p.m. The shop will be closed on Friday and Saturday.

For students who like to spend a few extra hours studying, the Den will no longer be the only source for up-all-night coffee. Soon they will be able to grab a latte at the Downtown Library Complex.

Recently, plans were finalized on the construction of a new coffee shop, which will be added into the fourth floor bay window area.

Due to open in mid-February, the coffee shop, which will be known as Eliza’s, will serve Starbucks products and an assortment of different food items.

Construction on Eliza’s is due to begin on Nov. 1, as announced by Student Government Association President DJ Casto during a SGA Board of Governors meeting Wednesday.

Major construction will begin during Thanksgiving Break, so students will not face major issues in regards to studying before and during finals week.

“A temporary wall will be put up to block some of the noise from construction,” said Academic Affairs Administrator Dr. Nancy Lohmann, who served on the coffee shop committee.

“I think the addition of Eliza’s will be very beneficial to students,” said Casto, noting that the shop was a proposal of BOG member Jon Jaraiedi.

“We want it to serve as a type of workgroup area, where students can meet and talk,” he added.

Eliza’s was named after Eliza J. Skinner, the first professionally trained librarian at West Virginia University.

Skinner served as library director from 1897 until 1902. Her portrait and profile will be prominently placed in a central location of the shop.

Along with Casto, who served on the coffee shop committee, was Frances O’Brien, dean of libraries; Dr. Nancy Lohmann, academic affairs administrator; Kim Hartsell, senior facilities planner for WVU; and Michael Ellington, Mountainlair director.

Casto said the area in the coffee shop will be large enough to seat 45 people. The shop will also feature cafe- style tables and chairs, with an overall appeal to blend into the library’s existing decor.

Bookshelves will line the inside of the shop, highlighting current topic readings, and various newspapers will also be available.

CONTACT: Kristin Margolin, Student Government Association 304-550-2866
D.J. Casto, Student Government Association 304-293-4403

Sip on this. West Virginia University students and employees will soon be able to enjoy a latte at the library.

Plans are in place to construct a coffee shop, complete with Starbucks products and food items, in the bay window area on the fourth floor of the Downtown Campus Library.

Construction on Eliza’s is set to begin Nov. 1 and should be completed by mid-February, announced Student Body President D.J. Casto during Wednesday night’s (Oct. 12) student Board of Governors meeting in the Mountainlair.

“Since June, the Student Government Association has been working with the provost’s office, WVU administrators and library staff to create an area where students could enjoy a cup of coffee in the Downtown Campus Library,” said Casto, noting the shop is the initiative of BOG member Jon Jaraiedi. “The library is one of students’ favorite places to study and relax on campus. I think the addition of Eliza’s will be a welcome enhancement.”

The coffee shop is named after Eliza J. Skinner, the first professionally trained librarian at WVU who served as library director from 1897 until 1902, when she accepted a position with the Library of Congress. Her portrait and biography will be placed in a prominent location in the shop.

Casto said the area will be large enough to seat 45 people, feature café-style tables and chairs and blend into the library’s existing decor. Bookshelves will line some of the walls and house the current topics reading collection, and a limited number of newspapers may also be available for patron reading.

Hot and cold espresso drinks, freshly brewed gourmet coffee and tea, blended drinks to order, Italian sodas, hot chocolate, and bottled soft drinks, juice and water will be available for purchase.

Equipment and personnel are being provided by WVU Dining Services.

Eliza’s will also offer jumbo muffins, bagels, biscotti, oversized cookies and a variety of healthy snacks.

Students will be allowed to take drinks from the coffee shop into other areas of the library if they are in the proper container, Casto said.

Tentative hours are Sunday-Wednesday from 3 p.m.-midnight and Thursday from 3-9 p.m. The shop will be closed on Friday and Saturday.

jc/km/10/13/2005

WVU library opens monster-themed display in time for Halloween

WVU students considering creepy costumes for the quickly approaching Halloween season can visit the ground floor of the university’s downtown library for suggestions.

That’s where library staff has assembled four display cases of horror-related reading.

The theme of the exhibits actually is monsters, both in literature and film. Titles in the arrangement include classics such as “Jaws,” “Frankenstein,” and the “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde.”

“I’m a horror fan and I’ve got a master’s in English so I decided to do monsters in literature,” Librarian Beth Toren said. Toren developed the display.

Toren said she actually began working on the display during the summer.

The display has been up for about two weeks and will run through the end of October.

In addition to gathering the requisite materials, such as books, DVDs and small figurines related to monster lit, Toren said she also tried to include controversial facts about all of the featured films and novels.

For instance, one case asks observers to consider how Disney’s film version of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” may have promoted negative perceptions of people with disabilities.

Other portions of the exhibit point people to gender-oriented criticisms of the Hitchcock film “Psycho,” and literature examining communistic themes in Jekyl and Hyde.

Displays on other floors of the downtown library are currently dedicated to Albert Einstein, banned books and insects.

An exhibit promoting the works of Appalachian poets should be up in time for Mountaineer Week, which begins the final weekend in October.