Chris Cox, dean of Western Libraries, said there is possibility a food establishment will take the map library’s place.

“It’s all in response to budget cuts,” Cox said. “We haven’t been able to hire much staff and we’ve had to reduce hours (of the library) at the Arntzen location.”

Map librarian Rob Lopresti said the core part of the library would be moved to Wilson 170 and the everything else will be stored in an undecided location off campus.

Cox said the rest of the library would go into an off-site storage location, but it could also stay in Arntzen, or temporarily in Wilson. He said part of the collection included things that might not be needed anymore or aren’t immediately relevant, such as government documents.

Cox said because the room in Wilson is a contained location, the library could keep its identity as a collection of maps. He said he hoped the move would encourage more students to learn about the library.

“Generally, the map library serves students and faculty from Huxley, geology and biology,” Cox said. “Regular off-campus users include the Lummi Department of Natural Resources, Whatcom Environment Consulting and the City of Bellingham.”

Founded in 1957 by Western’s geography department, the Huxley College Map Library is the second-largest map collection in Washington, according to Western’s website.

Luke Jensen, a senior majoring in geography, said he is frustrated the library is changing locations.

“It’s going to suck because all of the environmental classes are right next to it,” Jensen said. “The Huxley major area is there, too. It’s been nice to have that all in one place.”

Cox said he has been working with Huxley to keep the collection going, he thinks the move will be beneficial.

“There will be better hours and more staff on site to help run the library,” Cox said. “There is a better level of service in Wilson (than) Arntzen.”

Margot Meuleman, a senior majoring in environmental studies, said she is indifferent about the move.

“I already spend a lot of time in the library, so I’m just glad the resources will still be available,” Meuleman said. “Maybe this way more students who didn’t know it existed could check it out.”