Alex Blencowe/ Staff Writer
alex.blencowe@fiusm.com
The unveiling of a one-stop-shop for students academic needs is happening this month.
The Glenn Hubert Library will officially welcome the Academic Skills and Knowledge Center on Thursday, Oct. 30, located on the second floor.
The ASK! Center will provide students with tutoring services, tech support and library assistance all in one place.
“As an incoming freshman, you get sent around to a lot of places and students don’t have that kind of time anymore,” said Gustavo Arauz, criminal justice senior and office manager of the library. “By having everything in one location, we can try to avoid that.”
The newly renovated area will offer quiet study spaces for students, and will provide all of the assistance needed for class assignments, projects and the like.
The ASK! Center will feature state-of-the-art Windows and Apple computers, cell phone charging stations, numerous outlets, and energy-efficient lighting.
Arauz said the new digital viewing stations and Blu-Ray DVD racks make it easy for students to watch videos and find digital content for projects.
Columns with reading material based on specific University programs will be displayed around the center, as well as an information desk for research and writing tools.
“Libraries are changing, they’re becoming more digital,” Arauz said. “We want to make it easier for students to spend their day here.”
Bryan Cooper, associate dean of technology and digital services at the library, said the new center will help students interact with others and will provide a chance for students to get exposed to new resources.
“It was a highly collaborative process and the University is committed to students’ success,” said Cooper, who hopes that the changing library scene will be a trend sustained in the future. “This is an important start to revitalizing the larger spaces in the library.”
The ASK! Center will feature artwork from the winners of the International Student Photo Contest over the past eight years. Students can also expect new furniture to use reference books at.
Ashley Kearns, public relations junior, thinks the new center will give students better access to research tools, but could also make the library more crowded.
“I like to get in the zone when I study, but by attracting more students, there will be more traffic,” Kearns said.
Other students believe the new center is conducive to students’ academic success.
“Any time the University increases capacity, they increase student efficiency and recruitment,” said B.J. Chiszar, a grad student studying public administration.
“The new center is just one piece in a comprehensive strategy to take this school to the next level,” Chiszar said.
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