Amid the plethora of new and exciting updates to the Hawk Hill campus’ infrastructure, including the recent reopening of O’Pake Fitness & Recreation Center and the upcoming unveiling of Post Crossing Sept. 26, it is easy to overlook that St. Joe’s is experiencing unexpected challenges on other campuses.

The early closure of the University City campus’ Joseph W. England Library due to an HVAC system failure, as reported in this week’s issue of The Hawk, has greatly accelerated the library’s move to Griffith Hall. Over weeks, librarians, maintenance staff and faculty worked to preserve pockets of space where students can physically gather, retaining study rooms and replicating the feel of the England Library in a new setting.

Study rooms, community spaces and social environments are an unquantifiable aspect of college. Libraries — which contain all three — are especially significant in forming the college experience. It’s what makes college the launching point for lifelong social, academic and professional success, rather than just a four-year layover ahead of one’s career.

The closure of England Library further compounds what has already been an emotional experience for the UCity population following the closures of Goodman Hall, Osol Hall, Wilson Dining Hall and other spaces on the UCity campus. Amid these changes, we commend the library staff, who have gone to extraordinary lengths to provide some semblance of normalcy for the UCity students who deserve to have spaces available throughout their college careers.