Kristin Antelman is excited to be UC Santa Barbara’s newest librarian, and one of her first ideas for change is opening up all eight floors for student access on weeknights.
After having discussions with students to determine what changes they wanted to see to the library, Antelman wants to open up access to what many had described as a crowded space.
Previously, only parts of the first and second floors were open past midnight while all other sections of the library were closed off. Antelman plans to have all eight floors of UCSB’s library open until 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday, although the changes had not been implemented as of July.
Expanded hours on more floors will be supported by more library staff, she noted.
Additionally, the entrance to the old Davidson library, which previously had been closed off, will be reopened for public usage, she said.
Antelman started her new role June 28, after spending years as a librarian at Caltech and North Carolina State University.
“I’ve been serving public institutions for all of my adult life,” she said. “I’m happy to be part of the University of California, serving students across the state.”
Antelman’s familiarity with the city of Santa Barbara was a major factor that influenced her to take the position. Her mother has been a resident for 13 years.
Antelman said she’s happy to be part of a school committed to making sure its library could help serve the student body. Part of that commitment could be seen through the renovation and expansion project for UCSB’s new library in 2016, she said.
“The gate count has doubled since the new library has opened. Obviously, we haven’t seen a doubling in the student population, so that shows that people are more enthusiastic about coming here,”Antelman said.
As librarian, she oversees the institution’s digital and print resources, programming such as UCSB Reads, and services for students and researchers.
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