The Reinert-Alumni Memorial Library hosted an open house last Wednesday, complete with balloons, a map of the renovated spaces, and librarians around just about every corner ready to assist the Creighton community.
The open house went on from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. last Wednesday and welcomed students, faculty, and staff for self-guided tours with a few larger groups floating around.
“The new space, in general, was much needed,” the Electronic Resources Librarian, Rachel Wallenbeck, said. “It looks great, and the students seem to like it as well.”
Renovation for the new space took place for the entirety of the summer, and the open house was put into work a couple of months ago.
According to the Library Specialist for Inter-Library Loan, Lynn Schneiderman, the library hasn’t received a remodel of this magnitude since the 1980s. “It had to have been back in the 80s,” Schneiderman said.
“Long before I got here,” said the Head of Academic Information Resources, Rick Kerns.
The map of the library that was handed out upon entry featured seven particular highlighted renovations, including the updated look and feel across library spaces, the new quiet study spaces and 10 additional study rooms, and a 50% seat increase across the three levels.
Kerns also mentioned how a former conference room on the upper level was rearranged into a key-card-accessed quiet place specifically for Creighton’s graduate student community.
Another addition for silent spaces on campus is the new Echo Studio behind the Service Desk. It’s a soundproof room that opened on Tuesday of last week for students to reserve a quiet area for telehealth appointments, interviews, or any commitment or meeting where they may need to focus in a quiet area, explained Wallenbeck.
A prominent aspect mentioned in the renovations was the Maker Space, which houses 3D printers, vinyl cutters, laser cutters, and design software.
“You probably can’t miss it, but I would say the Maker Space is the highlight,” the Catalog and Metadata Librarian, Eric Feikert said. “You see it right when you walk in the door. I’ve been in there a couple of times and got a button made for myself.”
With renovations, the Health Sciences Library collections, services, and staff were also relocated to another area, along with the relocation of the University Archives and Special Collections.
When asked about any updates to the heating and cooling system of the library, Wallenbeck said, “Not yet, but I know they are working on some of that right now.”