Frequently Asked Questions

Learn More About the Renovation Process:

 

How can I use the library during the Summer 2025 Semester?

  1. Starting May 15, 2025, the library building will be closed for the remainder of the construction.
  2. The Welcome Desk in Custer Hall 304 will be open during Summer Hours to check out technology and pick up books on hold or requested through Interlibrary Loan.
  3. Print materials from the general and juvenile collections must be requested for pickup by placing a hold in our catalog. Library personnel will retrieve them from storage outside of construction hours and bring them to the Welcome Desk in Custer Hall 304.
  4. The Welcome Desk will be open Monday through Friday from 7:30am-6pm to check out technology and pick up books on hold or requested through Interlibrary Loan.
  5. Special Collections and University Archives will be unavailable from mid-May through late June 2025 as the collection is shifted to the first finished area on the upper level.
  6. Ask A Librarian research help is available online (live chat, email, call, or text) or appointments can be made to meet with a librarian in-person.
  7. The Media Lab is located in Custer Hall 310 and is available by appointment.
  8. All staff will have offices located in Custer Hall. See the staff page for more information.

Are there study spaces I can use in Forsyth Library right now?

Unfortunately, no study spaces are available in the library at this time. Starting May 15, 2025, the public access points of the renovation site will close for the remainder of the project (until March 2026) and all library services will be available in Custer Hall or online.

In the meantime, other campus buildings offer study and meeting spaces such as: Memorial Union, Fischli-Wills Center for Student Success, Rarick Hall, Tomanek Hall and the Residence Halls.

What will go in the café space on the main level?

At the university level, a food vendor contract was awarded to the Union Catering Company in Spring of 2024. This contract also applies to the new library café space.

During the campus listening sessions, there was a strong demand for a simple, lower cost coffee offering in the café in the newly renovated library. However, the menu and operating hours are yet to be determined.

Why aren’t you building a new building?

The physical location of Forsyth Library on campus is ideal and the current building has good bones and provides adequate space, it just needs to have the space redistributed for modern uses and major updates to the aging systems such as electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. By renovating the existing structure, we’re able to spend less on the overall project.

Where can I find the most up-to-date information about the renovation?

This blog will continue to be updated throughout the process. Please also check the renovation status page on the library website as many of the library partners, spaces, collections, and library staff offices have moved to temporary locations during construction.

Are you getting rid of all the books?

No. One of the most common things we heard from the campus input sessions was that students like to study in the library because they like to be surrounded by books. Prior to the renovation, the library weeded the collection as a part of regular collection maintenance to make sure that the books we have are relevant and in good condition to support the research activities of our university community.

During the construction process, the periodicals in compact shelving and the government documents will be transported to off-site storage. They are coming back once the renovation is done. Please check the renovation status page for the availability of specific collections. During the renovation, you can place a hold through the library catalog to have your book(s) ready for pickup at the Welcome Desk.

Will we still have a quiet floor after renovation?

The upper level of the renovated library will continue to serve as a quiet zone. Depending on how students use the main and lower levels of the renovated library, other sound zones may be established.

What will actually change? Are you just putting in new carpet and paint?

This project is a major remodel. While the exterior of the building will look similar to the existing structure, after the renovation, the interior of the building will barely be recognizable. Nearly every wall except the elevator walls will come down to create new space allocations and improve the flow and function of the space.

There will be an open, amphitheater staircase and an additional cutout from the main level to the lower level to bring natural light into the lower level and create a more open space. The north and south stairwells will have a major transformation, integrating them into the space.

 

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