At the University, long papers, grueling exams and time-consuming projects are part of daily life for most students. When it is time to get to work, many students turn to one of the University's libraries, and one of the most popular spots is the McGregor Room on the second floor of Alderman Library. Furnished with beautiful rugs, dark wood, comfortable chairs and ambient lighting, the room offers a sense of quiet luxuriousness many students can't get enough of.
Second-year College student McLean Ellis, who studies in the McGregor Room almost every day, said she loves the room because "it is quiet and cozy."
Library Director of Communications Charlotte Morford, whose office is located in Alderman, said while she loves the commotion of places such as Alderman Café, it is nice to have a "peaceful space" such as the McGregor Room for students to study.
What many students do not realize, however, is that the McGregor Room did not always look like it does today. In fact, it was not until 2004 that the room became the quiet study space students now enjoy. The history of the McGregor Room dates back to 1939, when it was opened as a reading room and place to house and display the Tracy W. McGregor Library Collection of American History. McGregor, a Detroit philanthropist and civic leader in the early 20th century, became enamored with the University's special collections after a trip to Charlottesville. In his will, he left his own collection of rare books and manuscripts, which focuses on exploration and colonization during American history, to the McGregor Fund. He asked that the collection be given to a an institution with "fine ideals of higher education," and the fund's trustees chose the University in 1938, according to the University Library Web site.. The McGregor Fund, which McGregor and his wife Katherine founded in 1925 to support charitable works in areas of their interests, paid for the original room as a memorial to McGregor after his death in 1936.
When the Special Collections Library opened in 2004, McGregor's collection was moved there, and the University decided to restore the McGregor Room, seeking to provide a room that students would really enjoy and use.
"We really worked with [a] student advisor committee," Morford said. "One of the initiatives here is to continually offer more spaces for students ... The McGregor Room was originally a reading room, and the decision was made to turn it back and return it to the students."
University Librarian Karin Wittenborg worked with students and Facilities Management on the project, which took six months to complete. The McGregor Fund provided a $200,000 grant for the room's restoration. While many new pieces of furniture were added, the University also worked to restore parts of the original room. McGregor's original desk and chair were restored and remain in the room, along with several antique light fixtures. New armchairs were added, but Morford noted they were chosen to fit in with the "comfortable, quiet atmosphere" of the room. Additionally, the windows lining the room, which had been covered before to protect the rare books housed in the room, were opened to let in sunlight.
The room reopened, and students flocked to use it. Because they worked so closely with students when redesigning the room, Morford said, she is not surprised it is so popular.
"It's a quiet, beautiful, convenient and comfortable place to study," she said. "One of the neat things is that the students really value that quiet and respect it."
Second-year College student Katharine Hastings said she studies in the McGregor Room about three times a week.
"I like ... that it is so comfortable and quiet," she said. "It kind of reminds me of my house, like an old traditional living room."
Although there are other spaces on Grounds that provide a quiet place to work, the McGregor Room seems to offer something more, particularly for students who use it on a regular basis.
"After a while, you start to have a favorite spot, and even though you don't know their names or what they are studying in the McGregor Room, you have a kind of bond with the people you see there all the time," Ellis said, adding that she prefers the atmosphere of the McGregor Room to the "seclusion of the stacks."
Some students wish the room would close later than midnight, and students who live off-campus, like third-year College student Will Jungman, said it is less convenient to use the McGregor Room because of their living arrangements.
"I did study there as a first-year," Jungman said. Now I just don't get there that much."
Hastings said she sometimes finds it easier to just study at home.
When students need a change of location or a quiet place to work, though, the McGregor Room seems to top their list. A perusal of the room's guest book reveals messages such as, "This room is fantastic!" and "Beautiful! It inspires intelligence."
Regardless of how often students visit the McGregor Room, the study spot offers them a welcoming study environment, accomplishing just what Morford and the University community set out to do: return the room to students.
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