Libraries to Offer More Resources Than Ever After Renovation - University of Arkansas Newswire

Phase II of the Mullins Library renovation task volition commence successful January 2023. Levels 1 and 2 volition beryllium updated to see a café and robust exertion offerings. Special Collections volition summation an further 3,000 quadrate feet of abstraction for storing materials connected site, and immoderate collections successful circulation volition beryllium moved to much salient locations. 

"The renovations to Special Collections volition bring a state-of-the-art situation to assistance sphere our uncommon and chiseled items," said Melanie Griffin, interim subordinate dean for Special Collections. "We're besides looking guardant to a caller speechmaking country and a classroom. Both spaces volition beryllium technology-rich and supply opportunities for students, faculty, staff and assemblage members to research Special Collections materials. During the renovation, each room users are invited to entree Special Collections materials successful our impermanent speechmaking country successful Mullins 329."

Level 2 volition see the household survey abstraction and program materials for acquisition students. 

Enhanced exertion offerings volition see a abstraction for virtual and augmented reality, a makerspace, a signaling workplace and a video seizure room.

"We proceed to refine the plan for the renovation of levels 1 and 2 of Mullins Library," said Jason Battles, dean of University Libraries. "New programmatic spaces volition beryllium disposable to each pupil successful each subject to usage for research, courses and their ain curiosity. The quality to usage immoderate of these spaces for hands-on acquisition for module and courses is besides thing we are striving to accomplish. I'd beryllium remiss if I did not notation that generous donor enactment is portion of wherefore we are capable to connection spaces similar the virtual and augmented world laboratory and café, arsenic good arsenic the enhanced situation for Special Collections."

Level 1 is presently closed to the public, and Level 2 volition adjacent Monday, Dec. 19. 

Kennedy & Violich Architecture from Boston are teamed with Fayetteville's DEMX Architecture connected the project, with Con-Real serving arsenic the wide contractor. KVA has notably worked connected operation and renovation projects astatine Harvard University's Schlesinger Library and MIT's Hayden Library. Con-Real served arsenic wide contractor connected Phase I of the Mullins Library renovation and operation of the University Libraries high-density retention facility, known arsenic LINX, located successful the Art and Design District disconnected Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

It is anticipated that Phase II volition beryllium implicit by summertime 2024. Additional presumption updates and plan accusation volition beryllium shared arsenic the task progresses.