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Redesigning RowlandRedesigning Rowland

CenterView / Bruce Coleman / July 2011

Visitors to the third floor of the Rowland Medical Library at theUniversity of Mississippi Medical Center can be forgiven if they seem confused for a moment. The overwhelming array of book "stacks" that greeted patrons for years has been replaced by an open, inviting space more conducive to individual or small-group study.

This metamorphosis is the first in a series of renovations scheduled for the Verner Holmes Learning Resource Center, according to Susan Clark, director of the library.

"We used this as an opportunity to enhance student study space on campus," Clark said. "We wanted to keep the traditional feel of a library, but redefine the use of space."

To accomplish the library's new look, books published before 1985 and journals printed before 1990 were moved to an off-site UMMC facility. The remaining journals are housed in compact electronic shelves that offer state-of-the-art push-button access; the remaining texts are tucked away in conventional bookshelves.

"By condensing the print resources, we've tried to provide different types of study space," said Colby Dearman, architectural designer with the firm Cooke Douglass Farr Lemons. "Study is much more interactive and collaborative today, especially across disciplines. We wanted the students to have that kind of learning environment."

Clark said the students' response to the renovation has been "very good."

"Many say it's more current, up-to-date space that meets their studying needs," she said. "What's fascinating to me is, day in and day out, you find the same people in the same place at the same time - students really have taken ownership of the space. I think they appreciate having an updated space."

The library's new configuration, which cost approximately $727 thousand, features comfortable furniture and enhanced natural lighting for a more inviting study experience. The third floor renovations include:

  • Six individual group-study rooms for collaborative learning;
  • Fourteen closed study carrels that bookend the new electronic shelving system;
  • Several large graduate study carrels that provide near-soundproof privacy;
  • Numerous individual study carrels;
  • Two sections of traditional reading-room areas for informal individual or group-study sessions; and
  • a small classroom, yet to be finished, that will seat 12-14 individuals for institutional learning classes.

Katie Jo Collins, CDFL interior designer, said although student-centric, the design is intended to accommodate all patrons.

"All spaces are wheelchair accessible," she said. "The group-study areas along the north wall offer one of the better views on campus. Administration was really dedicated to keeping that experience for the students."

For Clark, the changes redefine what Rowland can mean to the Medical Center.

"We're adding a new dimension to our vision, which is not only to provide learning resources, but to provide a collaborative learning environment that is more in line with how people are learning these days," she said. "Libraries are generally built in the middle of campus and serve as a focal point for learning and research. The redesigned third floor provides an array of study spaces to accommodate all our students' needs."