Mount Allison library getting $85M modernized facelift
Mount A library renovations to make the space more accessible, inviting for students and faculty
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Mount Allison University is giving its library a modern transformation with an $85-million renovation project.
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The Ralph Pickard Bell Library building, which is 54 years old, will undergo a face lift over five years, and in the process will become a more accessible space for all students and members of the community.
Rachel Rubin, the university’s dean of libraries and archives, said discussion around the project began in 2018, and slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic. A survey was done so faculty and students could give input on their needs.
“We’re taking that bottom up approach and thinking about what can we do to make this the central location for our campus for the next 50 years,” said Rubin.
Some of the new additions include a data and digital scholarship lab and an innovation and entrepreneurship lab. Rubin said many students and faculty do research involving data management or working with rare materials and the current library was not set up for that.
The infrastructure is also being updated to have gender neutral and accessible bathrooms on all floors. Accessibility is being kept top of mind when planning the library stacks for their print materials. The current layout does not take accessibility needs into account, said Rubin.
The library will also house the academic support and research and faculty instruction services. There will be designated areas for quiet study and social gatherings, including an enclosed breezeway and coffee shop, which will also serve as an event space.
“It shouldn’t just be boring. We are hoping to really enliven it and make it a space that students want to be in,” said Rubin.
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Rubin said the renovations will allow them to display items from their archives and special collections. They will also be looking at permanent art displays, including Indigenous art, and library staff will be working with the campus art gallery on temporary exhibits.
Students said in the survey the current library space is too dark, so they are widening the windows to let in more natural light, and a new entrance is being added to York Street, so it can be easily used by the community coming from downtown.
“It should feel very light and natural and air filled and warm,” she said, adding the roof and electrical systems are also being upgraded.
Some of the beloved elements of the library are being kept like atrium and octagonal shape, she noted.
As part of the $85 million project a temporary library building is being built adjacent to the athletic complex, which will serve as the library beginning in 2026. The renovated Ralph Pickard Bell Library building is expected to re-open in 2029 and the temporary building will be retrofitted into a multipurpose athletic space.
The renovations are being funded by a $35 million grant from Infrastructure Canada and the provincial government, as well as philanthropic groups and internal resources, said Rubin.
The university released renderings of what the new library will look like, but Rubin said they still have not decided on fixtures, furnishings and colour schemes, so the final product may look different than the initial renderings. The next 8-12 months will be spent working on the design.
Rubin hopes it will be a place that will bolster student learning, and it will be enjoyed by both students, faculty, and members of the community.
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