The start of 2023 brought exciting changes to the University Libraries, with Mullins Library officially entering the final phase of its renewal. Phase II will transform Levels 1 and 2 with the creation of functional and experiential spaces for students, faculty, staff, and community members with the addition of a café and several robust technology offerings.
The Special Collections Division will gain an additional 3,000 square feet of space for onsite storage for their important and unique resources. There will also be added space for research and teaching, as well as galleries for exhibits.
“The renovations to Special Collections will bring a state-of-the-art environment to help preserve our rare and distinct items,” said Melanie Griffin, interim associate dean for Special Collections. “We’re also looking forward to a new reading room and a classroom. Both spaces will be technology-rich and provide opportunities for students, faculty, staff, and community members to explore Special Collections materials.”
Level 2 will provide a family study space as well as house the curriculum materials for Education students. Some of the enhanced technology offerings will include a virtual and augmented reality lab, a makerspace, a symposium and event venue, and a recording suite that will showcase a live room for music creation, a video recording studio, and central control room.
“We continue to refine the design for the renovation of Levels 1 and 2 of Mullins Library,” said Jason Battles, dean of the University Libraries. “New programmatic spaces will be available to every student in every discipline to use for research, courses, and their own curiosity. The ability to use some of these spaces for hands-on instruction for faculty and courses is also something we are striving to accomplish. I’d be remiss if I did not mention that generous donor support is part of why we are able to offer spaces like the virtual and augmented reality lab and café, as well as the enhanced environment for Special Collections.”
Kennedy & Violich Architecture (KVA) from Boston are teamed with Fayetteville’s DEMX Architecture on the project, with Con-Real serving as the general contractor. KVA has notably worked on construction and renovation projects at Harvard University’s Schlesinger Library and MIT’s Hayden Library. Con-Real served as general contractor on Phase I of the Mullins Library renovation and construction of the Library Annex, or LINX, the University Libraries’ high-density storage facility located in the university’s Windgate Art and Design District.
It is anticipated that Phase II of the Mullins renewal project will be complete and ready to be explored by students at the start of the Fall 2024 semester. Additional status updates and design information will be shared as the project progresses, so stay tuned!
