By Braden Weinel//
The Beneficial-Hodson Library at Hood College is set to finish a $7.2 million renovation and open in January 2021.
Among the new features installed to enhance the function of the library are private study pods, more natural light and a café.
The study pods are designed with two floor-to-ceiling white boards, tables, chairs, a television, and all the technology needed for students. Chuck Mann, the vice president for finance and treasurer at Hood College, said that the study pods are the feature that he’s most excited for. They are located on the first three floors of the building.
The new café is located on the first floor of the library. It is a self-service café that will operate on the honor system. Students will pay by swiping their own student ID or credit card. The café will serve drinks, sandwiches, snacks, and more.
The curtain wall on the second floor is also a new feature that Mann said he is excited about. A window facing Rosemont Avenue that stretches almost the entire width of the building. Individual black-out curtains are hung over the window and can be student operated to be raised or lowered.
The design of the library was intended to be very casual on the bottom floor and as you go up the floors the expectations for a low volume level increase. Mann said that the building has been transformed to function more like learning commons than a traditional library.
“The Concept of the learning commons is to create a more casual study area,” Mann said. “It’s a place where students can hang out and study with their friends.”
The learning commons will be open 24/7.
Also new to the library will be the offices of resource departments such as IT and the help desk on the first floor.
The original design for reconstruction is meant for a normal year, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year the furniture will be laid out with greater separation and more limited seating.
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