GAMBIER, Ohio—Three buildings designed by GUND Partnership have broken ground at Kenyon College. The new West Quad buildings include a new library, an interdisciplinary academic building and an admissions building with financial aid center for student recruitment. Construction for all buildings will be complete in 2021.

A new highly flexible state-of-the-art library will support active and collaborative learning. It will feature a variety of environments to encourage student growth, curiosity and exploration. Special Collections will be prominently exhibited at the building’s entry and a teaching lab will create more opportunity to integrate the unique collections into course work. Academic Advising, Career Development, the Registrar and Student Accessibility Services will move to the library as an integrated hub connecting work inside the classroom with work outside of it. To encourage innovation, two sandbox spaces, one for technology and one for teaching, will provide students and faculty needed space to explore transformative technology and teaching practices. The Office of Institutional Research will be located in the library, capitalizing on the College’s commitment to assessing the inputs and outcomes of a Kenyon education.

With a focus on accessibility and openness, the new academic building will facilitate cross-pollination of ideas across and beyond the social science disciplines and will contain the anthropology collections and lab. The building features open commons on each floor, flexible classroom spaces adaptable to continuing changes in pedagogy, classroom sizes of 16-40 students, collaborative workspaces, and a 300-seat auditorium.

A new home for admissions and financial aid will bring together the offices, which currently operate in two separate buildings. Campus tours will depart from a new terrace anchoring the north end of the West Quad and will bring prospective students into the academic core. Multi-purpose spaces inside the building will allow greater flexibility in supporting and celebrating the campus community. All three buildings are pursuing LEED Certification with the library designed to achieve LEED Gold. Together, these individual projects strengthen the fabric of the entire campus and retain the distinctive identity that Kenyon has developed over its 195-year history.

These projects join two recently completed buildings for Kenyon’s renowned English department, also designed by GUND. Each provides modern office and academic spaces important in the continued recruitment of great talent to one of Kenyon’s most popular majors. The new West Quad will further Kenyon’s impact on student success, from the time a prospective student steps on campus to the time they celebrate commencement, positioning them to define and achieve their post-graduate goals.

GUND Partnership works across the country with leading academic and cultural institutions to explore the power and potential of the built environment.

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The previous Msgr. Robert T. Mulligan Library had not been renovated or redesigned since the school was originally built in 1966. It was still filled with book stacks, several of which were empty due to the digitization of part of the collection, according to a statement. To modernize the facility, the school contracted Patachogue, N.Y.-based BBS Architects, Landscape Architects and Engineers to redesign the facility. BBS served as architect; interior and furniture designer; mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer; and technology consultant for the project.

In the several years it took the school to raise funds for the library, the design veered away from its original plan that included a section with multiple computer workstations. In that time, the design team realized students were increasingly using their own electronic devices and opted to instead design a dedicated room for graphic design–related classes. The room was originally pre-wired for a number of high-end computers that freed up space to allow for more creativity and flexibility within the library, according to a statement.

While the main reading room still features an abridged physical collection of book stacks, they presently only occupy 40 percent of the main reading room. A centrally located reference desk and checkout counter, and flexible study area with an oversized sofa, lounge chairs and study tables, make the space feel more like a living room than a library.

A multifunction room occupies the west end of the main reading room and is equipped with printers and two, wall-mounted display screens. A glazed movable wall creates a physical and acoustical separation between the multifunction room and the rest of the library.

The library also features a second, smaller reading room that includes tables and chairs, a 3-D printing station and a study counter with high-backed stools. Additionally, a new, 16-person-capacity conference room features a boardroom-style table and the graphic design classroom features more than 30 Apple workstations.

“[The library] can be used for multiple classes simultaneously, faculty and board meetings, tutoring, before and after school clubs, and social events,” said Tracy Hansen, AIA, an interior and furniture designer for BBS. “This multipurpose space has become the heart of the school, which now frees up the rest of the facilities from multitasking for all those activities.”

During the design process, student feedback indicated a preference for visiting the cafeteria after-hours to study and to access food and beverages, so the design team prioritized space for vending machines and a high-end coffee machine.

Technology also helped redefine the space, as the main reading room features an oversized, nine-screen video wall on which librarians and students can wirelessly control projected content.

In order to accommodate the new audiovisual and data connections as well as the high number of charging stations and power outlets installed, BBS increased the amount of power going into the library, according to a statement.

“The incorporation of Wi-Fi into the new library has freed up the entire space to be a flexible one,” Hansen said. “Moveable, easily maintained furniture allows the space to serve many types of groups — large and small.”

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Historically, the library has been the central information resource and academic heart for scholarly activity on college campuses. In that capacity, it is considered a valuable academic asset. Yet, due in large part to the digital revolution, the library’s role has shifted to accommodate the needs of today’s learners. In the process, some campus libraries now house non-academic services such as dry-cleaners, cafes, spirit shops and other non-academic functions. But, are these new uses in the best interest of the university? Without a vision and strategic plan, the library is at risk of becoming a “catch-all” building.

Evolution of Academic Libraries

The role of the library as a resource to assist people in accessing information has not changed through the ages. What has changed is how that information is shared, from verbal storytelling among scholars to written information on papyrus scrolls, many of which were stored in one of the first academic libraries — the ancient Alexandria Library. Eventually, scholars switched to parchment and then paper as the preferred method for recording information. This meant academic libraries had to transform to properly store and display books instead of scrolls. Today, libraries are undergoing other modifications as digitally recorded information becomes the norm.

At the same time, the research and study habits of students are changing. Traditionally, libraries were outfitted to accommodate quiet, individual studying through separate study carrels and rooms. Now, students are engaging in more teamwork to prepare them for working together as part of bigger units in their future careers. There still is the desire to have quiet study, but students want flexibility to choose to study individually, study alone together or study as a team in small groups at their libraries.

Are Libraries “Catch-All” Buildings?

A “catch-all” building is one that incorporates multiple purposes and uses. In the case of the library, the evolution of shared technology partnered with the needs of the library’s stakeholders is contributing to several academic libraries turning into “catch-all” buildings. In some instances, the reason for the evolution is due to a lack of resources, funding or available space. At other institutions, it is a matter of convenience since the library is a central facility on campus.

In addressing the redesign of the library of the Claremont Colleges in California, Associate Dean Rebecca Lubas said, “One of the concerns throughout our planning process was that the library doesn’t become a catch-all. It’s important that anything we’re doing to serve the needs of students and faculty must align with and support our academic program.”

Lubas also noted that the library has an important responsibility as the resource supporting and promoting an institution’s unique mission and vision. To do so, the library needs to be designed to fulfill a unique purpose, rather than serving all purposes.

Defining the Library’s Distinctive Purpose

Determining a library’s unique function starts with identifying its intrinsic qualities and value proposition. The Claremont Colleges Library serves seven institutions. “Since we are a center for the seven colleges to come together, a lot of collaboration occurs within our library, whether it’s a group study project or creative endeavors between students on campuses,” Lubas said. “It’s more than a place to quietly study. It’s a place that allows for the creative aspects of the research process to happen.”

Similarly, Bruce Massis, director of libraries at Columbus State Community College in Ohio, sees the library as the center of the academic community on a campus. “We’re here for students, faculty, administration and staff. The academic library has evolved into a space that’s a combination of where you can find modern technology or a quiet study space to read,” said Massis.

It is also important to prepare the library’s purpose for the future by being aware of the latest ways of learning, including innovations with virtual reality. “If we’re going to future proof, we must be willing to change the ways of delivering information and resources in our libraries,” said Tonya Fawcett, director of library services at Grace College and Seminary in Indiana.

Preparing for the future means involving students and leadership in library designs and renovations. “By asking the right questions, we can find out what students and faculty need in their research and study environments,” added Fawcett.

Serving Stakeholders

The universal purpose of any library is to be a resource that assists people to access and share information to become better-informed citizens. Traditional public libraries serve the general public and may be more appropriate places to find non-academic functions. On the other hand, the research focus of academic libraries means that it has an exclusive purpose, based on the mission and vision of its institution. Determining the library’s role requires broad stakeholder input to rethink the library’s mission and how it will serve students and faculty into the future.

Tom Sens is a client leader on the higher education team at BHDP Architecture, an international design firm that focuses on creating innovative environments and experiences tailored to the client culture and work process.

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