When students return to campus in January, they will be met with a newly revamped space to study.

The Carnegie Library Reading Room will reopen on Jan. 13 with a new floor, restored walls, ceiling finishes and restored tables with new reading lights, said Eric Beattie, director of campus planning, design and construction, in an email. He said the library service desk also moved upstairs and library staff will likely be located in that area, as well.

He added that the library was in need of renovations.

“The reading room is well loved as one of the great spaces on campus, but it was due for an overhaul,” Beattie said.

The renovations to the Reading Room are part of a project to renovate various parts of the entire building, Beattie said. He said classrooms, offices and spaces for students to get academic help will continue to be renovated for the next few years, and the building’s bathrooms will be revamped, as well.

TC Carrier, of the Program Management Center, said the newly refurbished room will provide students and faculty with an inspirational work space.

“Bird Library has a lot of collaborative spaces and a silent reading room and individual study rooms, but not the inspirational space that the Carnegie Reading Room will provide,” she said.

Carrier said the room was used mostly by the math department before construction, but now it will serve as a place for all university members to study or research.

She added that other additions to the library space include a computer cluster and a new self-checkout area that will allow visitors to check out up to 10 books at a time.

In addition, the front doors up the stairs will become the library’s main entrance. The library’s reopening will be the first time those doors have opened since the mid-1970s, according to a Syracuse University News release.

Since the renovations are an ongoing project, some elements have already been completed. Beattie said several math department suites have been revamped, and classrooms on the first floor were constructed last year.

He added that the overall cost of the multi-year renovation for Carnegie will be several million dollars, but the renovations are critical given the building’s importance.

“Carnegie provides one of the most central quiet study spaces on campus,” Beattie said. “It was due for an update.”

According to the SU News release, the library will be closed from Dec. 14 to Jan. 12 to complete final preparations. Materials from Carnegie can be requested online and picked up at Bird Library or delivered to faculty offices.

Syracuse University Libraries is planning to hold a grand opening reception this spring to display the renovations, according to the release.

Published on December 5, 2013 at 3:16 am

Contact Brett: blsamuel@syr.edu | @Brett_Samuels27