Somewhere around the time when the afternoon sun dims a bit and the faint promise of the evening lies in the sky, the bell at Culver City rings. Students come rushing out of the classrooms and the halls start to fill up. Student athletes head to the back near the field and gym. AVPA members go to their assigned classrooms. Clarinet and flute players head to the band room. Another group of students would head over to the Julian Dixon library that is on Overland Ave. and walking distance from Culver City. However, currently this does not seem to be the case. The Julian Dixon Library is temporarily closed until early 2016. The library’s last day of service was Jan. 3.
The library closed because it is currently under renovation. The funding for the renovation is funded by Los Angeles County Supervisor for the Second District Mark Ridley-Thomas and the Culver City friends of the library. The renovation of the library includes adding new machines, changing up the appearance, and incorporating modern technology. Twenty eight public computers are being added along with self-checkout machines. An installation of cabinets, light fixtures, carpet replacements, ceiling replacement, and electrical upgrades are also taking place. To bring the renovation to a full circle, small change ups in the appearance set out to make the library more appealing. Parts of the library will be uniquely painted and there will be minor landscape upgrades. It seems as though the library is renovating to fit into today’s modern times where technology has become a large aspect. When asked on his thoughts of the renovation, School Library Supervisor, Asuncion Romo Jr. said, “The 21st century library is evolving, the internet continues to grow, and the information on the internet has grown immensely too.”
Now you might be thinking: what does something as small as a library closing down have to do with Culver City students? Turns out it has everything to do with Culver City students. Students are greatly impacted and even frustrated with the closing. Many students had free access to computers, internet, and even a quiet place to study or complete homework. For junior Aasiya Syed, homework or studying cannot get done in a noisy place and the Julian Dixon library was a “quiet and peaceful place to study on the weekends.” Not every student has access to internet at home and the library is the only place where online assignments can get finished. As a freshman, Mia Victorin receives an abundant amount of homework that requires research on computers and assignments that need to get printed. When the library was open, Victorin would just “pop in at the library and print up to ten pages for free.” The closing has made it difficult for Victorin because now her only other choices are Marina del Rey Library, West Hollywood Library, and View Park Library which are all a bit distant from Culver City. Culver City students are anxious for the library to open up again in early 2016. To pick up and return materials, students should visit the Express library, 4130 Overland Ave, Culver City, CA 90230 which is serving as a temporary library.