Late Night Studying at the PCL: A Photo Story

It might be a library. But visually, there is so much more than meets the eye.

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By Rachel Bush, Rabeea Tahir, and Ingrid Vasquez

For some students, the 24/5 initiative, in which the Perry-Casteñeda Library is open for 24 hours a day, five days a week from midterms to finals, is something that is taken for granted. But for former UT student government president Wills Brown, he remembers a time in the not-so-distant past when it was difficult to find anywhere to study that was open late.

“After my sophomore year, budget cuts took away any 24 hour study spaces,” Brown said. “Only the Union was open until 3 a.m.”

When Brown and his friend, Thor Lund, decided to run for student government president and vice-president in the spring of 2012, both knew they needed “new and fresh ideas” to campaign upon. Brown and Lund decided to base their campaign platform on making the PCL a 24 hour study space.

“Most schools within the UT system have 24 hour libraries,” Brown said. “We wondered why the flagship university didn’t have one.”

Students were receptive to the idea and when Brown and Lund won the election in March 2012, they quickly met with library staff to begin planning for the endeavor. PCL staff was receptive to the 24 hour study initiative, but decided to conduct preliminary research on library usage before any decisions were made.

“There are as many students, or people, who are logged onto our PC’s and wireless network at 3 a.m. as there are at noon,” said Catherine Hamer, Associate Director for User Services at the PCL.

The library’s research found that the cost of operating the PCL 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week would take an additional $319,000 per year. Library staff realized that the PCL did not need to be open 24 hours-a-day on weekends or during school holidays, and from the research conducted, there was even more evidence that  and that is when the 24/5 initiative was proposed.

In the new proposal, the PCL would be open 24 hours-a-day from Sunday to Thursday from midterms until finals. With this  new operating schedule, the library would only need to procure an extra $45,500 in funding, which Brown and Lund took charge of raising.

“We worked with Texas Exes, the Provost of Libraries,the athletic department, and many others to generate the  $45,000 needed to open PCL for 24 hours,” Brown said.

Another struggle facing the initiative was that of security. During the day, the PCL employs two security guards to oversee the building, and the new library schedule would be no different.

“We do have two guards overnight,” Hamer said. “Our Vice-Provost was really adamant that if we were open overnight we would have to have an additional security guard in the building because we’ve always had one at the entrance of the PCL. He was concerned that it was such a big building and there would be times when there were a lot of students in here, which is great because you feel like you have security in numbers, but then there might be times when we’re open 24 hours when it might not feel so safe.”

Since its inception, the 24/5 initiative has been a success. The problem the library now faces is that students want the 24/5 schedule before midterms start. Hamer said that starting the 24/5 hours earlier in the semester is something the library would be open to exploring, should they find the funds to pay for the extended hours.

Brown can now look back on his part in helping to begin the 24 hour study space at the PCL and finds that, although it was his campaign that ultimately brought about the change, the initiative goes beyond him.

“It’s not about me or anyone else in student government,” Brown said. “It couldn’t have happened without UT Athletics and many other groups. It’s awesome to see it’s still going on and students are benefiting from it.”

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More than a voice: Sasan Rezaie

People know the voice of the PCL. But do people know who the voice really is? This is an interview conducted with Sasan Rezaie by Rachel Bush, editing by Ingrid Vasquez, and collaboration with Rabeea Tahir.
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A Video Story – 24/5 PCL: The Nightlife

The Rise of the New, the Fall of the Old. 

By Kristina Latham, Tricia Small, Dylan Carter

After dramatically changing a once run down residential street into an Austin hotspot, Lustre Pearl has shuttered its windows to make way for an 8-story apartment building.

The Austin skyline is to be changed by 2015 as Rainey Street develops new hotel skyscrapers and better bars leaving Austinites and businesses to adjust to the alterations.

Rainey Street, located near Lady Bird Lake and Interstate 35, is known as a part of the Historic District in Austin, TX. Before the many bars and businesses, Rainey Street was a quiet residential area. Many of the houses are a bungalow style and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

All that history is changing as the addition of multiple hotels and condos along Rainey Street transform the eclectic strip of mostly privately owned bars into a more commercially developed area. Because of the new business, most of the bars and small businesses are forced to close up or  revamp their style to fit in.

The bungalow style buildings that once characterized Austin’s Rainey Street are turning into rubble as new residential high rises get ready to spring up.

Lustre Pearl, the first bar on Rainey Street, recently closed its doors “to make way for a high-rise,” according to KVUE reporter Heather Kovar.

If not closing their doors altogether, many bars along Rainey Street are revamping their buildings or being bought out by larger investors hoping to capitalize on Rainey’s popularity. Rabbit’s Lounge has undergone renovations to become a newer and better bar, hoping to keep pace with the many the new bars coming to Rainey Street. Andrea Grimes, reporter for Eater-Austin, a news site for upcoming eateries,  got the report on it.

Lustre Pearl, the first bar to appear on Rainey Street, closed its doors to make way for high rise apartment buildings.

The recent closure of Lustre Pearl, Rainey Street's signature first bar, represents the changes to come as more residential developers invest in one of Austin's most unique areas.

As old bars close their doors, new bars are changing ownership and getting a facelift.

Rainey Street's Bungalow is undergoing a major renovation, at odds with retail and commercial real estate developments in the area.

One of Rainey Street's most popular bars keeps the eclectic vibe typical of the reincarnated homes as it undergoes renovations.

Bungalow often features live music, making the stage an important focal point in the layout of the bar.

Across from a strip of Rainey's signature homes-turned-bars, rubble gets cleared to make room for high rise apartments.

On a block that was once all small residential homes, a building site gets prepped for a new Austin hotel.

Austinites share their excitement about the growth of the area and the mix of residential, retail and restaurant development that is transforming Rainey Street.

“Rabbit’s Lounge on East Sixth Street officially shuttered last fall,” Grimes reports, “and the space is now set to be revived with an infusion of new, Rainey Street-filtered blood.”

With all the changes, Austin’s Rainey Street will soon look more like a hotel and condo strip rather than a historical landmark. According to Jude Galligan, Downtown Austin Blog (DAB).org writer, there are 7 total hotel and/or apartment buildings set to pop up on Rainey Street. Those include: Fairmont Austin, Waller Center, Hotel Van Zandt, Millennium Rainey, Rainey Tower, Skyhouse Austin and North Shore Lofts.

“New apartment high rises and an influx of new bars,” Galligan writes. “Things are really happening in Rainey.”

Although officials say the new buildings will bring jobs to Austin, the famous bar street will never be the same. There will be skyscrapers, more commercial bars, less historic charm, and Rainey Street will be a temporary home for thousands of tourists each year. With these new changes occurring, some Austinites are unsure how to feel about the ‘new’ Rainey Street.

“It’s a shame it’s changing,” Michael Watts, a frequent Rainey Street goer, said. “There’s nothing like this place anywhere else.”

Though the Austin skyline will forever be changed, Rainey Street will always be a part of historic district.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMzMDHYADY8&feature=youtu.be