Colleagues,
You may be aware that University Library is pursuing a dramatic reconceptualization of the Main Library building, leveraging our extraordinary collections to create a new space to serve our campus community. More information on our vision can be found here: www.library.illinois.edu/library-building-project/vision/, and more information on the project, including a FAQ, has been posted here: www.library.illinois.edu/library-building-project/.
As we pursue the vision detailed above, we would like to engage members of our community in helping to shape the Main Library space. That includes graduate students, and we would like your input in helping to define the vision. Our remarkable collections will be a significant and prominent part of it, and we will need to discuss how we best provide the spaces that many have come to expect as part of our libraries: the Scholarly Commons, the Media Commons, library instructional spaces, event spaces, and, of course, spaces for studying and student collaboration.
Our hope is that the Main Library can also help to foster collaborative research in disciplines in the humanities, the arts, and the social sciences. Of course for that to be successful, we will need to formalize the way space is managed and allocated. We will also need to ensure that we plan for the right kinds of spaces. In addition to those mentioned above, what other facilities will be needed to support rich collaboration of the sort proposed in the vision?
As part of the early process of planning, we are asking small groups of graduate students to gather for a casual brainstorming conversation about shaping these spaces. We have scheduled a number of dates in February (see below) and are now inviting your participation. I am writing to ask that you consider joining us to share your perspectives and invest in helping us shape the next chapter in our Library’s great history.
We currently have five sessions scheduled. We are planning to keep the groups small, so everyone has a chance to participate. Please send Kim Matherly (matherly@illinois.edu) your first two choices. If we find that we need to add additional sessions due to demand, we will consider that based on the response rate. The dates/times reserved include:
- February 19, 10:00-11:00am, 106 Library
- February 19, 3:30-4:30pm, 106 Library
- February 20, 3:00-4:00pm, 106 Library
- February 21, 10:00-11:00am, 106 Library
- February 21, 2:00-3:00pm, 106 Library
Yours,
Tom Teper
Project Manager, Library Building Project