Roy O. West Library has not been renovated since 1986. The renovation will include a new technology center, but students will have to find a new place to study at for the academic year of 2018-2019.
The renovation is meant to make Roy a more collaborative study space for students by updating the interior of the building and making it more welcoming. “The library is a place for everyone, so we want to make sure we’re listening to everyone’s ideas and concerns,” Rick Provine, director of libraries, said. The next year will be dedicated to designing what the new library should look like, and students and faculty will have a say in what the design should be.
The donor-driven project will cost around 18 million dollars, and it was Don and Barbara Daseke’s donation that made the renovation possible.
Warren Whitesell, project manager, said the project’s goal is to update the interior of the building and make it look more modern and welcoming. “Community members want to use the resources we have and right now the building doesn’t look welcoming to them,” Whitesell said.
Provine said the renovation will include gutting the building to improve infrastructure. “Because it’s been so long since the last renovation, our infrastructure is getting old,” Provine said. Changes to the lighting, plumbing, furniture and current classrooms are part of the renovation plan. There is also expected to be a small expansion toward Indiana Street.
The primary focus during the renovation will be the expansion of the west side of Roy, by Indiana Street. “We want to make the west side of the building more appealing and welcoming to the community,” Whitesell said.
President Mark McCoy said there is currently a plan to include the new Tenzer Technology Center in the renovated library. “I love the idea of the technology center being in the library,” said President McCoy, “it helps bring our academic mission into the 21st century.”
Whitesell estimates the project will take 18 months to complete. “Currently we are working on some design elements of the project,” said Whitesell, “and as we move forward we expect the renovation part of the project 13 months to complete.”
During the construction of Roy, students will not have access to the building, and this means students will have to find alternative study spaces for the duration of the construction period.
First-year Gina Hopf said she will miss using the second floor study rooms in Roy and hopes they will be part of the new library. “If I have to I would try to mimic the study spaces or booths that Roy provides in the GCPA, but there really is no other place on campus like them,” Hopf said.
Whitesell said the reason they will close Roy for a school year is to lower costs and time needed to complete the project. “It’s easier to do the demolition and renovation all at once,” said Whitesell, “Plus, who really wants to study in a space that has a lot of noise when a library is typically quiet and comfortable.”
The new renovation will bring DePauw’s main library into a modern and technological era that is beneficial for students and faculty. Provine said, “We [the librarians] want the library to be a place that students use and a comfortable place for students to study.”