If you have stepped foot in the Guillot University Center at the University of North Alabama recently, you might have noticed a peculiar gray bookshelf by the University Center Operations & Event Management office. What is this bookshelf? It is none other than the GUC Take a Book Leave a Book program.
Over the summer, those working in the University Center Operations & Event Management found an empty bookshelf and decided to repurpose it into what is now the Take a Book Leave a Book shelf.
Duell Aldridge, one of the faculty that is part of the University Center Operations & Event Management, first gave the idea to use the empty shelf in that way.
“This is something I have wanted to set up in the GUC ever since I first started,” said Aldridge. “I’m a big fan of promoting reading for any and all ages, and it always seemed like a nice thing to offer. I’ve seen them at other universities and businesses before, and I always think, ‘What a lovely idea that is.’”
At the GUC there are a plethora of student resources, such as the Fraternity and Sorority Life, Division of Student Affairs, Military & Veteran Service Center and others. There are also amenities including the food court and the Game Room. The purpose of the design of the GUC was to cater to students’ needs and offer a place for free socialization. The Take a Book Leave a Book shelf is just another piece of that puzzle.
“We are trying to turn this building into more of a hangout space, instead of just a place you come to eat, and I feel like that helps with that a little bit because it’s like, ‘Oh look here’s a book,’” said Abony Story, a student worker in GUC Operations and Event Management. “Take a seat, read it and hangout.”
If you ever find yourself in the GUC, stop by the little gray bookshelf and look for what may be your next great read.
