College of DuPage Library Reopens as Part of Student Resource Center Renovation

The College of DuPage Library is now fully open after an 18-month, two-phase renovation transformed the space to meet the needs of current and future users.

“We've been planning for this renovation for many years,” said Ellen Sutton, Dean of Learning Resources. “The results provide students with a wide range of study spaces and the whole college community with a state-of-the-art facility highlighting the various types of resources and services the Library provides.”

The main Library level features a reconfigured Reference Desk and a seating area that runs along the north window wall. The upper level now features two new entrances – one from the south staircase of the Student Resource Center and one connecting with the Academic Computing Center. Also featured are six classrooms in which librarians can teach research and information literacy skills, as well as student spaces that range from all-quiet zones to group study rooms outfitted with technology. Click here for photos.

“Some students wanted places where they could talk with each other while studying, and others wanted absolute silence,” she said. “We made sure the Library now provides all of these spaces to accommodate the many needs that our students have. The architect has also created a more open feel throughout the Library. The new two-story atrium next to the main staircase creates open space that visually connects the two levels of the Library.”

In addition to the renovations, the Library recently joined I-Share, the resource sharing program run by CARLI (the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois). Students, faculty, and staff now have direct access to the library collections of all the member institutions, which means an additional 12.3 million bibliographic records and 36.7 million item records.

The Library project was designed by Loebl Schlossman and Hackl and was part of the overall renovations to the Student Resource Center, a $40 million project that was funded by the $168 million referendum that voters of District 502 passed in November 2010.

For more information about the Library, visit www.cod.edu/library.