COLUMN: Our almost perfect library
Since its renovation 10 years ago, the Charles V. Park Library has served our university and community incredibly well.
The library is beautifully designed, both inside and out, and has been an incredibly useful resource for me in my time at Central Michigan University. Such a thoughtfully designed and attractive structure has rightfully earned its place as a landmark on our campus — which only makes the color scheme inside even more disappointing.
The shockingly unattractive blue and red paint used to coat the railings, staircases and skylights give the place a depressing state fair look that makes very little sense contrasted with the desks, bookshelves and students busy studying.
When the cake and balloons celebrating little Park's 10th birthday are put away, hues normally reserved for the birthday party of an elementary school student will continue to make the place look a little bit goofy.
I don't know exactly what swatch book the architects turned to when selecting "abandon all hope blue," "we ruined the color red red," or the "combine every type of toothpaste green" employed on the southern wall of the fourth floor, but my brief glance at the internet suggest there were several other options in play.
The carpets are a little bit strange and some of the walls painted in colors muted into near non-existence, but it's the railings that have kept me puzzled for nearly half a decade.
The colors are neither serious, attractive or academic. Instead of evoking an intellectual response, they lead me to believe there is a bright yellow twisty slide leading from the fourth floor to a plastic ball pit. While this would be an excellent development, the sadly non-existent ball pit, like the paint scheme, has no business being in our library.
Let me reiterate how much affection I have for the building; both the facilities and the people who work in it are top-notch. I have always found the staff of the library to be exceedingly helpful and kind. On a campus where some facilities feel decidedly second-rate, the library is indisputably superb.
When I was a consultant at the writing center, I looked forward to working in that building every time. All of my love for what the building got right makes what went wrong even worse.
It's almost as if our campus has just been staying polite for a long time, like we're at an excellent dinner party where the host is wearing Lady Gaga's meat dress.
There's definitely something to be said for lightening up the mood in a place regularly filled with stressed-out people, but there are plenty of relaxing colors that don't make me feel like I'm trapped in a "Babar"-inspired nightmare.
I'm not advocating for everything to be white-washed. Maroon and gold might be nice though.
