The CFAES Library is being revitalized. Located in the south wing of the Agricultural Administration Building in Columbus and first opened back in 1956, the new facility -- to be renamed the CFAES Library and Student Success Center -- will be renovated "to meet important goals to transform it into a multi-functional, competitive, 21st-century" facility, planners say.
Included will be computer stations; new "collaboration rooms" so student teams can work together; a new elevator to enhance student access; improved lighting, including allowing more natural light in; such amenities as a coffee café, an outdoor courtyard and roof garden, and new, flexible, more comfortable furnishings; zones for both quiet and "loud" kinds of learning; an open, identifiable, inviting entrance; and, for the first time, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The aim is to create "dynamic and meaningful learning spaces for students," said Linda Martin, a leader of the project and associate dean of CFAES.
"Right now there isn't a really good place for students to work collaboratively, to have access to computers and printers, to have coffee on the Agricultural Administration (east) side of Woody Hayes Drive," Martin said. "We're trying to create an environment that brings students and faculty together and also provides opportunities for collaboration and group work."
The ADA compliance is "huge," she added. "Right now students who are wheelchairbound don't have full access to the library in our college."
In partnership with OSU Libraries
The project is a partnership of CFAES and the OSU Libraries. Acock Associates Architects of Columbus released a feasibility study this spring based on extensive input from students both in focus groups and on the planning committee.
The project should start this summer with the search for and selection of an architect and engineer. The design phase should take 10-12 months with about 12 months of construction to follow.
Stay current on the project here.
-- Kurt Knebusch, Communications and Technology