Library master space planning continues

Library master space planning continues

Submitted by Nick Dinka on 1 April 2014 - 12:00am

The Laurier Library is putting together a new master space plan that will involve a holistic review of our Waterloo campus Library building in preparation for future changes to the space.

“As we move forward with our plans to build a 21st century Library at Laurier, we want to ensure that any renovations to our building in the next few years unfold in a coherent and unified fashion,” said Gohar Ashoughian, Laurier’s university librarian. “Ultimately, our goal is to ensure we meet the needs of Laurier’s students and faculty through the construction of great study, research, collection and event spaces that help nurture the Laurier community.”

The master space planning process is being undertaken by the Library in collaboration with Physical Resources and an external consulting firm, Cannon Design, which has overseen major renovation projects at numerous universities in Canada and the United States, including the University of Guelph, UC Berkeley, and The University of Wisconsin at Madison. A series of consultations with the Laurier community began in December and will continue through the winter of 2014.

In the spring of 2014, the project team will release its recommendations on two fronts:

Project A - recommendations regarding future space priorities and improvements to the whole of the Waterloo campus Library building.

Project B - recommendations regarding the near-term need to update the main entrance of the Library, which currently includes areas that have been closed due to structural issues.

The master space planning initiative is part of a larger process designed to adapt the Library to the needs of our students, faculty and community in an era of rising student numbers and major technological shifts. This process is being guided by a series of studies of the Library, its users, and the needs of the Laurier community undertaken in recent years.

“We invite our friends from throughout the Laurier community to participate in the consultation process throughout the winter,” said Ashoughian. “We need your participation to ensure we meet Laurier’s needs in the years to come – to help bolster the university’s status as a research institution, improve research productivity and student success, and act as a hub for Laurier’s intellectual and creative communities.”