The Commons, after renovations.

The Library Commons open house had the festive air of a street fair, as students donned sombreros and cowboy hats and posed for pictures at a makeshift photo booth.

Others perused information tables about student services Thursday while picking up sweets and playing games along the way.

The Commons open house gave John C. Hodges Library staff an opportunity to showcase the newly renovated space and the numerous amenities now under one roof to meet students’ needs.

“It’s always a great day when we can celebrate something that serves our students,” Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek said.

Chancellor Jimmy G. Cheek talks to David Hayes, a sophomore marketing major, during the Commons open house.

The library, ranked 25th among public research libraries in the US, has constantly transformed to meet students’ expectations, he said.

The Commons “responds to needs for technology, flexible study hours, and spaces,” Cheek said.

Extensive renovations to Commons North and South began last summer to remove interior walls and open up the space, which encompasses the second floor of Hodges Library. The work was done under the direction of McCarty Holsaple McCarty, the original architects 25 years ago of the Hodges Library.

New glass-enclosed group study rooms that allow natural light were built around the Commons’ perimeter and entrances to both sections of the Commons were widened. Students have access to improved video and sound editing rooms and more recording and video studios.

The Commons, before renovations.

Service desks also have been centralized, which means students will be able to check out all equipment—including laptops, scanners, video cameras, headphones and voice recorders—from one location in Commons South.

The Commons features a larger zone dedicated to tutoring and academic support. It includes the Student Success Center, the Writing Center, the Stat Lab and Math Tutorial Center.

The space is a collaboration between UT Libraries and the Office of Information Technology.

“I like that it’s more open and has a cleaner look,” said David Hayes, a sophomore majoring in logistics.

Of the centralized services, he said, “Everybody comes to the library anyway so it makes sense to have it all here.”

New glass-enclosed group study rooms that allow natural light have been built around the Commons’ perimeter. Service desks, computer tables, and booth-style seating are already in place. Library and OIT staff will begin installing computers and printers later this week.

The Commons have been undergoing renovations since early summer. Renovating an entire floor of Hodges Library has entailed a complex choreography of temporary relocations of services and staff offices. Library staff recently reoccupied the updated circulation/media/reserve service desk and office area just inside the Melrose Place entrance. This freed up space outside Starbucks’ new west-facing entrance for the upcoming installation of expanded café seating.

When students return from fall break, they should see the progress. Some improvements are already apparent. Entrances to Commons North and Commons South have been widened, and a series of service desks are clearly visible across the entire expanse, north to south, of the second floor of Hodges.

One need only peek over the construction barrier into Commons North to see the zigzag computer tables and a serpentine arrangement of easy chairs. Commons South boasts new mediascape furniture that that will allow students to walk up, plug in their own laptops, and confer on group projects.

The centralization of service desks means students will be able to check out all equipment—laptops, scanners, video cameras, headphones, voice recorders and more—from one convenient location in Commons South. The studio, now centrally located in Commons South, will offer more recording and video studios.

Commons North will provide dedicated spaces for the Student Success Center, the Writing Center, Stat Lab, and the Math Tutorial Center.

Faculty from UT Knoxville’s Latin American Studies interdisciplinary program and Vanderbilt’s Center for Latin American Studies will work with high school teachers from across Tennessee to develop curricular plans for increased coverage of Latin American topics in their schools.

All film screenings will be held in Hodges Library auditorium and are free and open to the public. The schedule includes:

• “Qué Tan Lejos (How Much Further),” Ecuador – 7 p.m. Sunday, June 6
• “Morristown: In the Air and the Sun,” U.S.A./Mexico – 7 p.m. Monday, June 7
• “Si me comprendieras (If You Only Understood),” Cuba – 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 8
• “Domésticas (Maids),” Brazil – 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 9
• “Nueve Reinas (Nine Queens),” Argentina – 7 p.m. Thursday, June 10

For more information on the program, visit http://web.utk.edu/~LatAmer/summer.html.

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C O N T A C T :

Missy Buice (865-438-5303, mbuice@utk.edu)

Charles Primm (865-974-5180, charles.primm@tennessee.edu)

The new Reading Room is scheduled to reopen in 120 Hodges Library on August 3. Hours in the new location will be Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.

Structural problems in the west wing of Hoskins Library, which has housed the Special Collections since 1960, compelled the temporary relocation of the Reading Room earlier this spring. Restoration of the historically significant Hoskins Library and reconversion of several magnificent halls originally designed as library spaces remain important goals for the Libraries.

In the meantime, new and returning users are welcome to visit the Special Collections Reading Room in 120 Hodges Library.

For more information, contact Jennifer Beals, Head of Special Collections, at 974-4480 or jbeals@utk.edu.