The Zondervan Library made some adjustments over the summer including expanding their hours and putting the Lewis Center upstairs.
The library now has different hours: 8 a.m. to midnight Monday-Thursday; 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday; noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday; 3 p.m. to midnight on Sunday.
The C.S. Lewis collection was also relocated to the main floor of the library. This was the first in a series of moves that has added a new department to the library building.
Taylor University Online (TUO) moved out of Ayres and into the basement of the library, mainly for visibility.
Carrie Meyer, director of online learning & institutional technology is the only full time, in-person TUO worker, but the department is planning to expand and make good use of the extra office space available.
Last semester, Lana Wilson, interim director of the library at the time, and Ashley Chu, interim director of the Lewis Center at the time, realized that there was an undertuilized classroom on the main floor of the library. This availability offered a long-awaited chance to move the Lewis center to a more public space.
“We're always talking about how it's the third largest collection in the world, but you can't see it, it's tucked away in the basement where nobody really goes that frequently,” said Caleb Rolling, senior and research assistant at the library. “So, this is all a matter of making it more accessible, more of a thing in the public eye and trying to expand what we offer.”
First, the Lewis books were moved out of their old basement location. However, because of the remodeling in the classroom, the books will not all be displayed for a while.
“It’s more the waiting, that’s the most difficult part of it,” said Todd Ream, professor of higher education and current director of the Lewis department. “I think the only logistical part that I would really like to see happen at a certain time point is homecoming, because it's one of the few times when we have a lot of graduates of the University back on campus, and we can offer that space to them and introduce them to it.”
Along with moving the books upstairs, a few librarian offices moved up to the ground floor, including the director of the library’s office. With this move, the library hopes to promote better communication since they are more visible to the other library workers.
One of the ongoing projects is to install new signage in the building. With six different departments in the library building, the librarians find that departments and locations are not well-labeled and may be confusing for students looking for the right people.
“We need signage that helps students find things in the building,” said Wilson, assistant director of the library. “What can we do to help people understand the different departments that are in here, the different ways that they serve students? Really all of us are geared toward serving students to academically support them. If you think about all the departments that are here, that's a common goal.”
The game collection is back in circulation, some library sections have been moved, study rooms are open and tables have more chairs at them, but these changes are mostly related to COVID-19 restrictions lifting.
A summary of most of the changes to the library is posted on the website. The Lewis Center has more plans for engaging visitors which are underway and updates will follow.
