New Library Study Commons Brings Expanded Hours and Space—Plus an Upgraded Accessible Entrance

Vassar faculty and administrators gathered in Thompson Library on February 9 to celebrate the opening of a freshly renovated space designed to enhance students’ academic experience. The event was highlighted by a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of the new Library Study Commons.

The $5 million project was made possible in part by generous gifts provided by the estate of the late Ann Harrod ’60 and the George I. Alden Trust. The Commons features include:

• A 24-hour study space for students that includes enclosed rooms for study groups
• A fully accessible entrance on the north side of the building
• New space for Vassar’s Writing Center, Quantitative Reasoning Center, and Inclusive Pedagogy programs
• Improved facilities for the Library staff.

In remarks at the celebration, Director of Libraries Andrew Ashton said the project began nearly five years ago, when he and others on the Library staff met to assess the Library’s future needs. “This space clearly meets a need for our first goal, a fully accessible entrance,” Ashton said. “We needed more space for the Writing Center, Quantitative Reasoning Center, and Inclusive Pedagogy programs, all of which are critical to our mission. And since group studying is becoming increasingly popular among our students, these study rooms were in demand.”

Ashton reported that on the morning the new space opened, the second day of Spring Semester classes, he entered the Library through the new accessible entrance and saw that nearly a dozen students had already discovered the group study rooms.

Vassar President Elizabeth Bradley thanked Marianne Begemann, Dean of Strategic Planning and Academic Resources and Associate Professor of Chemistry; Sarah Hayes, Project Manager; and Maryann Pilon, Director of Project Management and Construction, for spearheading the project. Bradley said she had visited the newly renovated space the morning before the event, “and there were students here at 9:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning! I’m so happy we have this beautiful space, which, most importantly, is accessible to all.”

Matt Schultz, who serves as Director of First-Year Writing and the Writing Center and Adjunct Associate Professor of English, said the renovated space will greatly enhance his staff’s ability to help students succeed academically. “We have a bigger space to operate [in], and the breakout rooms will enable us to expand our services,” Schultz said.

While the ceremony was underway, several students were working in the group study rooms. Jackson Hrebin ’28 said he had not been aware of the renovations until a friend told him about them, shortly after classes had begun. “It’s really great to have this space to study with friends,” said Hrebin, a history and political science major from Stratford, CT. “The colors and design of the space are really welcoming, and so many students are already using it.”