Graduate students needing somewhere quiet to study can look forward to a brand new Graduate Reading Room in Parks Library as part of The University Library System’s new renovations.

This room will be for graduate students only to provide them with a quieter space to work and study.

There was a space feasibility study done from the summer of 2015 to december of 2016 and met with an architectural design firm from Chicago, and over the year the firm and the staff in planning facilities and management and the university library system staff talked about different plans for a year

Dean of the Library Beth McNeil presented the current plans for the project at the November Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) meeting on Monday.

“We absolutely recognize that parks is quite noisy,” McNeil said. “We are hoping in the future to provide a space more conducive for grad students who want a quiet space.”

The first phase of the project is set to take place in summer of 2018, with the following phases to be determined.

George Weston, Vice President of GPSS says he is very excited for what this will mean for graduate students, particularly those who might not have spaces assigned to them.

“This will be really great for graduate students,” said Weston. “There’s a lot of students who might not have an office or maybe their workspace is noisy like engineering students so this is really beneficial for them.“

Michael Belding, who is the University Relations Legislative Affairs Chair of GPSS served on the Library Advisory Committee as a voice for grad students for the upcoming renovations

Belding says he has had a positive experience with the library staff and the architectural firm, and felt that student’s needs were understood and addressed with the planning of the new construction

“I think the library administration and the architectural firm have done an excellent job listening to people’s concerns,” Belding said. “I’m excited to see what it looks like.

Vivek Lawana, President of the GPSS commented regarding the new graduate reading room saying that