Page 8 - Windows-Newsletter-Spring-2014

Extensive library renovations will
include cafe, technology labs and

media editing suites

April 8, 2014 article by Joey McReynolds published in TCU360, TCU’s online news source.

Since its inception in the 1920s, the Mary Couts Burnett Library has been renovated roughly every 30 years to better suit TCU’s
student body.
In the 1950s, the west addition was built to accommodate a larger student body, with another renovation coming in the 1980s as
the east addition was built. This time around, a year-long overhaul is addressing technological changes and developments, as well
as the learning styles and habits of millennials.
“The way that we learn, the way that we communicate, is very different today than it was 20 years ago,” Tony Hartin, an architect
and associate principal with library project company Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford, said. “We’re in the midst of a revolution, and this
revolution has to do with technology.”
James Lutz, director of library administrative services, said the renovations will more efficiently meet the needs of students.
“When you do your research in the library, it’s very different than it used to be,” Lutz said. “We’re trying to get more quality space
for each individual.”
New facilities for the future
Construction on the new front entrance off of South University Drive should be finished next month, Hartin said. Once that
project is finished, the construction will move indoors.
The year-long overhaul will include a first-floor cafe next to courtyard leading to Rees-Jones Hall. Hartin said a new cafe would
benefit the library, considering the current bistro is the second most visited eatery on campus behind Market Square.
New reading rooms and study spaces called “The Sandbox” and “The Visualization Lab” will also be added.
The Sandbox will be similar in layout to an Apple Store and will be equipped with new technology and software for student and
faculty use, Hartin said.
The Visualization Lab, or Viz Lab, will allow people to project information, such as data or virtual environments, onto the walls.
“You may create a massive data room where you’ve got so much information and so much data, you can’t conceive of it all on a
small screen,” Hartin said. “We’re able to project it all over the walls, and people can come in and learn differently.”
Library Dean June Koelker said media editing suites for projects that require multimedia elements will also be added.
“A long time ago, everyone’s project was a typed 8 ½ by 11 sheet of paper,” Koelker said. “Now you may embed a video clip in a
project.”
Koelker also said the Special Collections department is also expanding on the third floor.

8 TCU Library