Library Renovation to Offer Spaces for Quiet Study, Group Collaboration
Construction on March Library is planned for June through October of this year.
April 14, 2010
March Library, long a central spot on the EHS campus, will soon look the part. “Architecturally, the renovated library will look like what it has always been, which is the intellectual center of the campus,” said Assistant Head for Academics Jackie Maher.
The renovations, which will begin in June just after students have left for the summer vacation, will add both independent study spaces and rooms where students can work on group projects or meet with faculty members. A dedicated computer classroom for librarians to teach multimedia study skills will be added, as well. “The design responds to the needs of today's libraries to be flexible in the face of constantly-changing technology, and to accommodate collaborative work,” said Directory of the Library Abby Cross.
The renovated library also will have a more welcoming feel, with different seating options including traditional tables, study carrels, booth-style seating, and overstuffed chairs and sofas. “The stairs to the second floor will no longer be hidden away in a stairwell behind a closed door, which will give a sense of openness and connection between the two floors,” said Cross. Maher agreed: “Right now, you can go into the library and not know we have a second floor. The new layout will change that.”
Another new area will be dedicated to the School’s rare book collection, which includes very rare books such as an Aldine Plato and a Nuremburg Chronicle. “[The updated space] is going to make it much easier to highlight what a great collection we have here at Episcopal,” said Cross.
The renovations are on a tight schedule, since students will return to campus in the fall and providing them with the information they need for classes and research is a high priority. During the first six weeks of the 2010-11 School year, the library staff will be housed in the third floor study hall of the West Wing, with a print collection containing material chosen with input from faculty members according to what students will need in September and October. “The vast amount of information we subscribe to through our online databases will, of course, continue to be available 24 / 7!” Cross said, adding that the library staff is excited about the coming changes.
Faculty members are enthusiastic about the plans, as well. “What we will see with this new space is a place where people can interact, which is the most important part” of learning, said English Department Chair Mason New.
