Millar Library renovations set for fall completion

The last major renovation at Portland State’s Branford P. Millar Library, which is being used now more than ever, was back at the turn of the century.

To keep up with increasing demand and changing times, some major updates are in store for Portland State’s beloved hub of learning.

“We’re focused on how we can make this building work even better,” said Marilyn Moody, the library’s dean. “The biggest renovation we’re doing is on the third floor. There’s about 5,000 square feet we’re renovating for student space.”

Moody took the position about seven months ago, and has high hopes for the library’s future.

Some pieces of the renovation are occurring now, but the biggest phases will be taking place during the summer, Moody said. She explained that the modernized area will include a mixture of collaborative and solitary space, making use of movable furniture and workstations.

“We’re trying to make a flexible space [that] students can kind of make their own,”
she said.

Seeking ideas on how to provide the most effective space, Moody and her staff have attended workshops about library projects and toured recent renovations, such as those at Seattle University. They’re also actively seeking ideas from students about what they want to see at the library.

“We’re doing a survey now, to prompt students to start thinking about improvements they’d like to see,” said Tom Bielavitz, assistant university librarian for Administrative Services, Planning and Digital Initiatives.

Although the results of the survey aren’t yet in, other suggestions for changes students are hoping for have been coming in consistently.

“More comfortable furniture is a big one,” Bielavitz said. “Students have also been requesting more study rooms and extended hours.”

Bielavitz said that over the past few years they’ve been able to repurpose offices and storage rooms as study spaces, and that at the end of the renovations the library will offer at least two more study rooms.

As far as extended hours, Bielavitz and Moody said that adjustments to the schedule are being evaluated, but there are many factors that must be considered, such as staffing and student safety during late-night hours. They have already extended hours to as late as midnight beginning last fall.

“We’re trying to listen to what students are requesting and balance that with costs and benefits,” Moody said.

Moody added that the budget is still being worked out as the project is organized, and that funding will come from sources such as donor funds and applications to the Associated Students of Portland State University’s student fee committee.

“ASPSU awards funding requests for building improvements, which is [how] we received funding to build the Sandbox learning area on the first floor,” Bievalitz said.

Completed updates at the library include 40 new laptops for student use, just made available last week. There are also new scanners on the first and second floors, so students can make digital copies of book pages and not have to pay for photocopies.

Both Bielavitz and Moody explained that while details of the renovation are still being ironed out, now is a great time for students to chime in with suggestions for the upcoming renovation.

To share your ideas, go to library.pdx.edu and click on the “suggestions” tab at the top of the page.

“This is a great opportunity,” Moody said. “It’s going to be a really nice space when we get done.”