DeWitt Wallace Library Level 2 Renovation

DeWitt Wallace Library Level 2 Renovation

DeWitt Wallace Library
Macalester College
Academic Library
Library Renovation
Saint Paul, MN

Macalester College is a small coed liberal arts institution located in St. Paul, Minnesota. It teaches about 2,100 students from all over the nation and the world on its 53 acre campus.

The school was founded in 1874 by Rev. Edward Duffield Neill. Although a reverand fuoonded the school he wanted to ensure that his new school would be Presbyterian-affiliated but nonsectarian, so that it was more inclusive. The school offiially opened in 1885 after the help and large donation from Charles Macalester a Philadelphia businessman and philanthropist.

Macalester has always been very demanding yet open about the values of both facutly and students. These values were formed by the constant advancement of the strengths and goals held by the school. Today the school focuses primarily on Global Citizenship and Local Engagement and requires all students to focus on these values as well. According to President Brian Rosenberg, "Global citizenship begins with responsible and reflective local engagement that transcends parochial concerns and regards all human beings as fellow citizens."

The DeWitt Wallace Library was named after DeWitt Wallace, the son to James Wallace, Macalester alumni and president back in the early 20th century. DeWitt himself was also an alumni and went on to co-found Reader's Digest with his wife Lila Bell Wallace in 1922. Both Wallaces donated a fair amount to the college. DeWitt specifically offered help to the library, earning the title of the completed building.

The renovation of the second level of the DeWitt Wallace Library, the sole library on campus, was insprired by the school's values of global citizenship and local engagement. Renovations encourage students to explore their creativity, work collaboratively, and expand their curiosities. All of which are becoming more commonplace in public libraries, for a good reason. The new space is encouraging students to learn more on their own terms which supports global citizenship and local engagement by allowing students to explore those terms.

The old floor included standard library stacks, with tables for studying, a few group study rooms, the Rare Books and Archives collection, and offices for the academic librarians and similar school staff/faculty. The new space offerrs:

Content Creation Labs
More Comfortable Quiet Reading Spaces
More Comfortable Collaborative Working Spaces
Classroom 2020 Learning Lab
Special Collections – Expanding access and space
Media Collections Consolidated
Expanded Hours Study Space

It is incredibly exciting to see the old and new values of Macalester College being integrated so actively into the 21st century and intto a space that allow free thinking, collaboration, and curiosity. The renovation began in May 2017 and was completed by the time school started up again on September 1, 2017. Although the semester is still just beginning the newly renovated second floor is receiving rave reviews and visits from excited students.

Elise Hollinger

https://www.facebook.com/DeWittWallaceLibrary/
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/127398125@N04/albums/72157682190146700
http://themacweekly.com/
https://www.macalester.edu/

2017-09-21

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English

Saint Paul, MN