Dear Colleagues,

The odyssey of our transition from Library to Learning Commons is now coming to an end.  If you’ve been in the quad since Convocation weekend, you will have seen that the landscaping around the renovated building is now nearly finished. Inside, many spaces in the wings of the building are ready to welcome shelves, books and furniture. Finishing touches continue on the center section but our contractors have consistently met their construction timelines.

Many of you will have seen University Librarian Lorraine Smith’s note of Wednesday, June 13th, advising of the closing of the Temporary Library on July 14th in order to move all holdings back into the renovated space. Our Learning Commons will be open to the public on Monday, August 20th. Anyone needing print materials during the weeks of closure and transition should contact Circulation staff prior to July 11th in order to make arrangements.

I take this opportunity to express deep gratitude on behalf of the Bishop’s community to our Librarians and Library Staff. In the space of 18 months, they have planned and executed the two largest and most complex moves in the history of the University. In the period between those events, they have made their temporary quarters welcoming, hospitable and functional. To say that these services are essential to the University is an understatement. I’m sure I speak for everyone when I wish them the best as they now take the final steps in this exciting transformation.

Sincerely,

Jamie Crooks
Director, Bishop’s University Learning Commons Project

Located near the Writing Centre on the 2nd floor of the new Library Learning Commons, the Student Success Centre will regroup services targeted to students such as peer mentoring, international peer mentoring, club spaces, drop-in times with the SRC and more!

Come September you will be able to fuel your studying with gourmet bagels, grilled cheese and coffee!

Help, where you most need it! You will find the same great services at the ITS Helpdesk once it moves into the Library Learning Commons! To learn more about ITS services please visit their website.

We can’t wait for the new Learning Commons to open in September! Here’s a preview of the modern and varied study spaces you can expect to find!

What you loved most about the Reference Room will be back in September!

The Writing Centre has been temporarily housed in MacKinnon 125 for the past year or more but will re-join the Library when the new Learning Commons opens in September of 2018! For more info about the Writing Centre – including to book an appointment please visit their website.

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to invite you to tour our new Learning Commons this coming Friday, April 13th, at 4:00 p.m.  We will meet at the back of the building where the office of the University Librarian was located before renovation began. Celine Jury will be our guide.  Some parts of the building are now almost completely finished. Others are still under construction. Construction areas will be clearly marked. Celine will show us the spaces accessible to those without hard hats and construction boots.

The tour will take about 45 minutes. Afterwards, we invite all ‘tourists’ to join us in the Cleghorn Room for refreshments and brief reports on progress in construction (Celine Jury) and plans for the move back into the new building in July (Daniel Bromby).

For most of us, this will be the first visit to the building since we toured the gutted version of it about this time last year. I look forward to a sneak preview of the new space with you!

Geratek shared some photos of the site on Facebook, for those who couldn’t make it to the tour.

All the best as term winds to a close,

Jamie Crooks
Director, Learning Commons Project
Bishop’s University

Samples and pictures of the furniture for our new Library Learning Commons were on display in the Centennial Theatre Lobby February 28th and March 1st – 2nd. This furniture was chosen by our architects. Their choices reflect the results of wide consultation of librarians, library staff and other stakeholders in the integrated design process as well as the SRC-administered student survey on furniture needs in study areas conducted in October of 2017.

In their choice of furniture types, our architects have tried to create a variety of different ‘atmospheres’ – from standard study spaces to social/collaborative arrangements.

Please note that the colours in the samples provided and in the pictures supplementing these samples are not necessarily those chosen for the new Learning Commons. The colours selected by the architects are largely neutral (white, grey, wood). More vibrant colours will be included in the furniture and on the walls – but in limited quantity. The palette of these additional colours, reflecting the original design concept of the ‘Tree of Knowledge’ and the history of the University itself, will be green and purple.

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Best,

Jamie Crooks
Director, Bishop’s Learning Commons Project

Connecting the two floors of the Library Learning Commons, the Agora will without a doubt be one of your favorite spots. The Agora will be a versatile space that will be used by students, faculty and staff in many ways. You may attend a special event at the Agora, meet with your friends, get some readings done between classes; all of that at the Agora as of Fall 2018 in the Learning Commons.