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W.I. Dykes Library

 

Library Renovation Project

These are exciting times at the W.I. Dykes Library. With generous financial support from the Rockwell Fund, the Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation, the Ray C. Fish Foundation, the M.D. Anderson Foundation, and the Texas Higher Education Assistance Fund, the library is getting a top-to-bottom renovation. The first phase, the now heavily used 4th Floor North expansion, opened in October, 2008. The second phase, the renovation of the 5th Floor, began in 2010.

4th Floor North

Slideshow of 4th Floor North RenovationConstruction of the new library space on 4th Floor North began in February 2008. UHD staff and contractors worked for eight months to demolish outdated classrooms and build a new state-of-art facility that offers a variety of spaces for student learning and collaboration. The expansion was designed to accommodate student requests for after-hours study space by ensuring that part of the floor could stay open when the library is closed. For the first time, this expansion also provides access to the library from the Academic Building and various parts of the One Main Building. The new space opened to the public in October 2008 with:

  • a computer lab of 84 workstations
  • a reading room for individual study
  • 13 group study rooms with capacities of 4-10 students
  • 2 presentation practice rooms with podiums and multimedia equipment, and
  • 2 library instruction rooms with computers for hands-on research practice.

An event room for guest speakers and other campus events opened during the Spring 2009 semester and is now heavily used.

 

5th Floor North / 5th Floor South

The renovation of the 5th floor will provide open and orderly spaces for library collections, as well as a coffeehouse and new study areas for individuals. This work will make library collections more accessible for the disabled, and also provide a more rational arrangement of library collections that will make it easier to find materials. The center and west portions of the library are being opened up for student use, with library staff offices moved to the east portion of the floor.

These preliminary plans show the initial vision for the 5th floor. For future updates, see the library’s renovation update page.

 

 

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W.I. Dykes Library • University of Houston-Downtown
One Main Street • Houston, Texas 77002
Information 713-221-8187 • Circulation 713-221-8186

 

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Last updated or reviewed on 1/3/12

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