Construction on Mudd Library began in June following graduation and is on schedule to be completed after Thanksgiving break in November. The renovated space will house the school’s relocated Learning Center, making room for a new Wellness Center to be built on campus. For the duration of the construction,5,000 of the 15,000 books will be available for use in the Feldman-Horn Gallery.
The renovation period cuts into the beginning of the school year, leaving students without a large work space on campus. President Rick Commons said students will have to make adjustments as the construction takes place.
“It’s going to be hard for us to have as many study spaces between now and Thanksgiving as we need,” Commons said. “We’re all going to have to cram ourselves into different spaces to manage the construction.”
Head of Upper School Beth Slattery said students will have to be resourceful about finding other places to study.
“For a while, people will need to use the lounge and empty classrooms,” Slattery said. “The real challenge will be students with free blocks finding spaces to study, but we figure those kids can spread out between the quad and the lounge. I think it will also be hard if somebody wants to study during lunch, so I’m not positive yet where people would go to get away from the noise.”
Zoe Kramar ’24 said she is upset about the loss of the library during college application season.
“It’s really frustrating that the library is going to be closed during our first semester of senior year due to the large amount of college applications we have to write,” Kramar said. “I normally spend a lot of time in the library, so I will have to find a new space in my senior year which is not ideal.”
The renovated library will be structured similarly to a university library, featuring floors designated to noise volume level. The bottom floor will be a quieter area, with the traditional silent study room available during breaks. The lower floor will also include a multipurpose learning room and a reading room with beanbags and other seating. The second floor will house the Learning Center in the old Tech Center and have space for group work. Slattery said she is looking forward to the new “tree house” area that the construction will add.
“They’re building little nooks for people to study in,” Slattery said. “It’s going to be different levels, and you can climb in and have these little cubbies to hang out in.”
Ryder Katz ’25 said the new group work space in the library is a necessary addition.
“Classrooms fill up quickly at lunch, so having dedicated space for groups to do work together on campus will be a game-changer,” Katz said.