Library to Add VIP Section Next Year

Thanks to a generous donation from an alumna, Pickler Memorial Library will feature a VIP section starting next fall.

Planned features of the VIP section include sound-proof study rooms, personal tutors on staff, Starbucks table service, free massages and puppies to play with at all times the library is open. The additional resources come at no cost to the University and are being made possible by the financial support of alumna Avril Tonto.  

“I understand the dedication it takes to be successful academically, and I just thought this would be a nice way to reward those students who have put in the effort to reach the top,” she said. “Plus, I’m obscenely wealthy thanks to the education I received at Truman, so this is my way of giving back.”

Tonto made her fortune in the tech industry as the developer of SnackerTracker, a service app that allows users to get food from any restaurant delivered to their door in 30 minutes or less. Students with VIP access to the library will also be included in a pilot version of SnackerTracker this fall. They will be able to get delivery from every local eatery, in addition to favorites from any chain restaurant in the continental U.S. When pressed about how that would be feasible logistically, Tonto declined to provide details, but speculation is the company uses patented wormhole technology which allows for easy travel over long distances.

“It’s a trade secret, so I can’t get into specifics, but that component of the app is what allowed us to sell it for $4.1 billion last year,” she said. “Let’s just say I learned a lot in my quantum mechanics class at Truman.”

A lottery to select students to receive a month-long pass to enter the VIP lounge will take place the first of each month. However, in April the lottery will take place on the second as to avoid any student feeling pranked by an April Fools’ announcement.