Sharing Spaces

This year, the UCI Libraries have several opportunities to contribute to campus goals and priorities through the creative use of space in its library buildings.

The first opportunity involves a partnership with the Division of Undergraduate Education to open a campus-Sharewide Writing Center. A library is an ideal place to house a Writing Center. Writing assignments often require the utilization of library collections in conjunction with discovery tools and other technology and Writing Center faculty currently work closely with library staff on writing studies research. The Writing Center, which is expected to open in Fall 2012, will be in a prominent place on the ground floor. This convenient location will provide easy access for students who seek its resources and who need study space. The Center will provide critical support for writing and communication across disciplines and will enhance the Libraries' role as the "educational hub" and academic center of the campus.

The second opportunity has been the renovation of the ground floor of the Library Gateway Study Center to house a new center for Student Outreach and Retention (SOAR), which was successfully launched in October 2011.

A third opportunity is to utilize our space to bring UCI staff back to campus, helping eliminate an expensive off-campus lease. During Spring 2012, a portion of the 6th floor of the Science Library will be converted for use by the Office of Information Technology (OIT), which will save the campus a substantial amount annually. Through creatively sharing space, the UCI Libraries will make a significant contribution towards addressing the campus budget challenges. The Libraries have a long history of close collaboration with OIT, and we look forward to strengthening this partnership through the close proximity of our staff.

To accommodate these changes, we will be relocating much of the study seating within the Science Library Study Center and the 6th floor "drum" to other areas in the building. We know that the Libraries are an important and highly valued location for student study, and we are committed to providing individual and group study spaces while accommodating these new units. We are also working with other groups to create an easy-to-use study space locator, which will help students discover all the possible study spaces available to them on campus, including the UCI Libraries' facilities.

In addition, we will be relocating collections to other areas within the building, and withdrawing print materials, particularly where we provide access to the items in a digital form. This project will substantially reduce the size of the collection that we house in the Science Library while still providing access to these resources.

We have created a project website to keep our campus and community users informed as details, timelines, and more news emerge. If you have any questions, please contact Kevin Ruminson, Acting Assistant University Librarian for Administrative Services (x4440 or ruminson@uci.edu).