UPDATE: UIS Plans for the Future with Construction of New Building

Photograph courtesy of twitter.com

Image of Brookens Library

An article published by The Journal on April 22 discussed the ongoing construction taking place around Brookens Library. Important information on this construction has been brought to light since then. The campus landscape will be changing in the coming years, as a new building will be built to take over the duties of the library and many other buildings. The new building, with a working title of Library Learning and Student Success Center, will house four different units: Career Development, ITS, Center for Academic Success and the Library.

Pattie Piotrowski, University Librarian and Dean of Library Instructional Services, expressed optimism that the new center will provide a partnership between the four units. Students will be able to stay within the same place to get various questions answered, instead of having to travel between buildings like before. One of the main components that Dean Piotrowski hopes to have within the new center is collaborative services that work with one another to provide a satisfying experience for the students. Another concern that the new center will hope to address is the fact that many places on campus are closed on the evenings and weekends. The center will offer a 24-hour portion, along with accessibility on weekends at earlier and later times for students.

Because there will be a new space on campus in which students can access various resources, Brookens Library will most likely be converted to a student wellness center. The wellness center will house many of the services that are currently separated, including student disability, counseling and health services. Classrooms and office space will also be added to Brookens. Construction will hopefully be completed in late 2024 or early 2025.