Between student organizations, university, college, and department-level committees, and community events and collaborations, the meeting and event spaces on the Fort Hays State University campus are often in high demand. While the Memorial Union and select other buildings offer a variety of conference and event rooms, the reservation calendars fill up quickly. To help meet this demand, the newly renovated Forsyth Library will offer two conference rooms, three classroom spaces, and one large event space to the campus room reservation system. These new spaces will serve various needs and accommodate groups of any size.
On the main level, there will be a conference room on northeast corner that will seat up to 20 people. Also on the main level, a semi-enclosed presentation space with flexible seating and dynamic audio and visual options will meet the needs of small, medium, and large events of up to 118 people.
On the upper level, there will be a classroom on the southeast corner that will offer flexible seating for up to 24 people. In addition to being used for library instruction with the flexibility of a laptop cart, this space will also be used for professional development events, trainings, and workshops. On the northeast corner of the upper level, a zoom-ready conference room will seat up to 20 people for easily hosting hybrid meetings.
On the lower level, a computer lab classroom will be located near the west side that will have high-end computer stations for accommodating technology-based classes of up to 24 people. In addition to being used by the Institute for New Media Studies and for library instruction, this space will be available for hands-on classes and workshops that integrate technology. The powerful lab computers will be equipped with a standard set of software, including Adobe Creative Suite, SPSS, and other specialized applications. A campus organization lounge, located on the south side of the lower level, will provide an informal meeting and collaboration space for up to 16 people. With over 125 student organizations on campus, the student input gathered during the renovation planning led to the ideation and expressed need for a dedicated student organization space for groups to gather. Some library patrons may also have an immersive learning experience during events hosted by the Makerspace or the Institute for New Media Studies in the shared classroom space on the east side of the lower level, which seats up to 32 people.
We can’t wait for you to visit the new library in 2026 to collaborate with colleagues and experience learning in one of these new spaces.
