Students will have more group study spaces, improved video and sound editing rooms, expanded academic support, and additional access to Starbucks when the Hodges Library Commons reopen at the end of this month.
The Commons, which encompass the second floor of the library, have been under renovation since the summer.
The updated space will feature enclosed group study rooms. Some of the rooms will have interactive smart boards.
More group study spaces “is one of the enhancements students asked for,” said Rita Smith, the libraries’ executive associate dean.
Mediascape furniture—U-shaped tables with monitors that will allow students to connect their computers into the table and work together on a project at the same time—will be available throughout the Commons.
The Commons will feature a larger zone that is dedicated to tutoring and academic support. It’ll include the Student Success Center, the Writing Lab, and the Stats Lab.
A second door will also be added to Starbucks, a popular destination for many students.
To reduce inconvenience to students, library staff wearing “Ask Me” buttons have been greeting library users at the second floor Melrose entrance where most people enter the Commons.
There also has been plenty of signage to direct patrons to relocated library services.
“We realize it’s stressful for the students,” Smith said. “We’ve been sensitive to the fact that it can impact their work and we don’t want that to happen.”
For more information, visit library.utk.edu/news.