Library construction will impact study habits until next school year

Once filled with the rhythmic click-clack of computer keyboards and occasional creaks from wooden chairs, Boatwright Memorial Library now hums with whirring machinery after more than two years of renovations. 

The library’s basement level and new ground floor, featuring the renovated 8:15 at Boatwright cafe and Lora Robins Gallery, reopened on Aug. 18. Now, the first and second floors are closed for the 2025-2026 academic year, including the popular second-floor silent section.

Approximately 50% of the library remains under active construction, according to a webpage dedicated to the project. University Librarian Kevin Butterfield said renovations began in the spring of 2023 and are expected to be completed in August, ahead of the fall 2026 semester.

Students have expressed frustration with the closures, which have reduced study space, but also excitement about the library’s anticipated full reopening next fall.

“If we can get through these temporary 10 months, which I know is hard for folks, it's going to be a big deal,” Butterfield said. 

The closures have displaced many library employees, who Butterfield said have been working in the Refectory, temporary offices or remotely. Some of the temporary offices have replaced private study rooms nestled among the rolling rows of book stacks in the library basement. These rooms, which students could previously book for group project meetings, Zoom calls or whiteboard-brainstorming sessions, are now designated “Staff Only.”

Some student employees, such as senior Eric Harnisher, still work on-site at the information desk on the ground floor.

Harnisher has worked at the library for three years and said his role has been unaffected by the partial reopening and closures. 

“8:15 is kind of giving airport, though, so I don’t know about that,” he said, gesturing from behind the information desk to the two-story atrium now home to the cafe.

Junior Kristine Nguyen arrived on campus in August 2023 and has only known the library in its state of construction.

“We've seen how good it's turning out,” she said. “Just a little bit impatient, obviously, for it to be done.” 

Several students echoed Nguyen’s impatience, noting that while the renovations look promising, the closures have disrupted study routines. 

“If I could have picked, it wouldn't have happened during my time, but I mean, the new space is really nice,” said sophomore Haven Novack. “I do wish there was more space at the moment to study. It feels like we lost a lot of room, and I wonder what it's gonna be like. Midterms and finals can be a little hectic.”

Unlike Novack and Nguyen, senior Kelly Angelini was on campus before major construction on the library began. 

“Even before the renovation, it was hard to find study spaces, especially during, like, finals and exam weeks,” Angelini said. “So now there's even less.”

Angelini twisted in her lawn chair on the library green to face the scaffolding sealing off where 8:15 at Boatwright once stood. She called the renovated cafe an improvement over the dimly lit coffee counter she had known for three years, but had yet to use the new space for schoolwork.

“I'm, like, dreading how finals are gonna look,” Angelini said, referring to the lack of workspace. 

Butterfield, who oversees all operations of the libraries on campus, said incorporating spaces that reflect students’ needs has remained a priority since discussions of the renovation began. His office is aware of the current shortage, which he attributed to the project’s phased approach and safety concerns.

“There was no way to keep the building open and keep everybody safe,” Butterfield said, explaining the decision to close both the first and second floors at one time. “If we were to have left one open and renovated two, we'd be sitting under jackhammers all day.

Still, Novack said he wishes the floors could have been renovated separately, saying, “It's so much of a space to lose all at once.”

When the library reopens next fall, Butterfield said there will be more space and services available for students, as well as improved access through five entrances. The renovation project webpage specified that the library’s footprint will increase by 7,500 square feet. 

University Architect Chuck Rogers said the goals of the four-phase renovation included moving book stacks downstairs, opening up the Lora Robins Gallery and increasing the size of 8:15 at Boatwright for more seating and expanded menu options. 

“We’re strategic as much as we can be in terms of trying to maintain as much of the library open as possible while getting it done as quickly as we can,” he explained.

Rogers said that since an envisioning study in 2019, there has been extensive planning and collaboration with UR dining and library employees, student leaders, partnering architects and landscape designers. 

From railings for the outdoor seating area overlooking Westhampton Lake to solar-activated blinds that regulate sunlight in the atrium, Rogers said each detail was carefully considered.

As construction continues, students have been searching for workspaces free from the echo of clattering equipment. 

Angelini, Novack, Harnisher and Nguyen suggested several alternative study spots, such as the Humanities Building, Parsons Music Library, Gottwald Center for the Sciences, Westhampton deanery living room, open classrooms and tables outside. For a more comprehensive list, Butterfield recommended the library’s guide to on-campus study spaces, which includes buildings’ hours of operation and public printer availability. 

Contact visual editor Gillian Morano at gillian.morano@richmond.edu and contributor Emma Beardlsey at emma.beardsley@richmond.edu