1. Looking to expand room for STEM faculty while reconceptualizing an old science library led to the radical redesign of the Seeley G. Mudd Library, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, consolidated on one floor to allow labs on adjacent floors; a wealth of new student-centric information services were integrated.

CREDITS: Flad Architects, architect; ©AJ Brown Imaging, photo.

2. Cross-laminated timber panels became the solution of choice for the University of Arkansas Library Annex, Fayetteville, over a more traditional warehouse vibe of steel and concrete. Additionally, all the interior wood is exposed, affording a “warm and inviting” environment for staff.

CREDITS: Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects, architect; Chuck Choi, photo.

3. With an update to a 1966 Marcel Breuer modernist structure, the Alcuin Library, St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN, kept the integrity of the original design as it transformed the main reading room into a light-filled space for the 21st-century student.

CREDITS:  CSNA Architects, architect; Fred Fuhrmeister, CSNA Architects, photo.