A renovated MacOdrum Library with brighter and more open spaces for students is slated to be ready in September 2013.
The renovations include a five-storey extension and new façade overlooking the quad, as well as two new floors on the rear, canal side of the library, said Valerie Critchley, associate librarian at Carleton.
“From outside, students will be able to see all the activity in the library. Inside, there will be much more natural light, and many more open spaces will be provided for students,” Critchley said. “In the new front a double-height reading room and a dramatic spiral staircase will draw people in.”
With the renovations carrying on throughout this past school year, students have not had access to food within the library with the closure of Page Break café. There will be a food outlet within the library, although it is not likely to be available to students until December 2013, Critchley said.
Students can look forward to a new fourth floor Discovery Centre, “an interactive and flexible space that will allow students to work together or independently with technology in a busy, vibrant atmosphere,” Critchley said.
The fifth floor will offer silent study space as well as space for graduate students and researchers.
Complete with group study rooms and special collection study areas, the new area will use “exterior sun shading features and screens” as a cost-effective approach to cooling the library, according to the library expansion website.
Many areas are currently available in their full capacity to students. These include the Maps, Data and Government Information Centre space on level one and a new classroom and study space in room 252.
In February, the Joy Maclaren Adaptive Technology Centre on level two opened a “larger and brighter space for students with disabilities,” Critchley said.
For greater accessibility for students, there will be elevators that reach from floor one to floor five.
Students can expect access to the new spaces by September, as the library receives new furniture and equipment to complete the final phase of improvements.
