JOHNSON, Vt. (WCAX) – As Northern Vermont University campuses transition to becoming part of Vermont State University, big changes are slated for the Johnson and Lyndon campuses, including the libraries, which are culling some of their collections.
As of July 1, all Northern Vermont University campuses are putting hard copies of many books online. But when news traveled around campus, many students told us they are not impressed with the move.
“It’s just very strange to hear. A lot of people were really not happy about it. I wasn’t very happy about it. I feel like this is a really good study space. Most people that come here come to read,” said Luca Melem, a student from Essex Junction.
Vice President of Admissions Maurice Ouimet says the libraries will host the same collections but all books will be online. He adds times are changing and digital libraries are the future.
“Investments going forward are going to be in digital resources that are available online to students. There will potentially be some hard-copy books that will be retained in the libraries that are catered to specific faculty needs, but over time, the book collections will dissipate,” he said.
Ouimet didn’t share how much this upgrade would cost but said the libraries will still be open as study spaces.
Some students are worried about those who work at the library and the status of their jobs.
“I think when it comes to future sake, this is definitely a good turn but I also recently heard that they had to lay off nine workers — which is devastating,” said William Chasciari, a freshman at NVU-Johnson.
Ouimet says anyone being laid off is encouraged to apply for other positions on campus.
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