40 january 2015 i LIC COURIER i www.queenscourier.com ■EXPANSION Photo courtesy of Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer’s Office Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer joined representatives of LaGuardia Community College and CUNY, as well as faculty and students, to break ground and start the renovation and expansion of the college’s library. LAGUARDIA COMMUNITY COLLEGE BREAKS GROUND ON LIBRARY EXPANSION BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO LaGuardia Community College has launched a project that will give students at the Long Island City campus more room to conduct research and study. Representatives of LaGuardia Community College and CUNY, as well as faculty and students, gathered on Dec. 5 to break ground on a project to renovate and expand the college’s library. “LaGuardia Community College has a successful track record improving the lives and economic opportunities for countless sons and daughters of immigrants who continue to attend this world-class institution,” said Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who secured $2 million in funding for the library expansion. “Together with this significant investment we will ensure more students are given a state-ofthe art facility they need to enhance their academic experience.” Van’s Bramer’s funding will help renovate, expand and modernize the library by creating an open plan allowing better access for students and faculty. During the renovations, which are expected to be completed by the fall of 2016, 17,000 square feet of the library’s 31,000-square-foot first floor will be rebuilt and the remaining space will be upgraded. Students and faculty will be able to walk through a new entrance into an open space where natural light will be allowed to shine into the building. The renovation will expand the library to the E-Building’s second floor. The college’s Humanities Department was moved to the C-Building to make room for the expansion. “We are excited to embark on the construction project that will expand the existing library space,” said Shahir Erfan, LaGuardia’s vice president of administration. “The new space will leverage architectural/engineering design to promote learning and student engagement and the technology upgrades will enhance the student experience.” Among the upgrades and renovations are expanded circulation, reference and periodical areas. There will also be a new 1,600-square-foot information commons to help visitors access information with printed materials and technology. The library will also feature four brand-new 800-square-foot open study rooms and a 450-square-foot meeting room. Two new 1,200-square-foot computer labs will be added to the current 750-square-foot lab. “To us students, the library is our sanctuary, to study, do homework and be academically active,” said Katherine Gutierrez, a student at LaGuardia and Student Government Association governor of political awareness. “More books and more space is what we need. We have waited for this renovation, and it will provide us exactly that.”
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