From the very beginning, the rationale behind the renovation was to design a space that would motivate, inspire, and engage students and contribute to student success, as well as to serve faculty.
Lights, angles, and floating ceilings characterize the interior of the newly renovated Copley.
Pfeiffer Partners, Inc. was the architectural firm for the project. The signature highlight of the building is the main entrance that the Pfieffer architects call the T-Zone, which consists of the foyer, hallway, Journals Reading Room (JRR), and Welcome Desk.
The signature highlight of the building is the upper level main entrance that the Pfieffer architects call the T-Zone, which consists of the foyer, hallway, Journals Reading Room (JRR), and Welcome Desk. The eye-catching large chandeliers and diamond-shaped tile that line the corridor leading to the iconic Mother Hill Reading Room has reinvigorated the library. There are two entrances to the new building: one on Marian Way at the intersection of the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, and the Knauss School of Business. The other entrance is on the lower level across from the Learning Commons. The Welcome Desk on the second floor serves to provide visitors with directions and answers to general questions. The digital display screen in this area also includes information about the library and campus activities and events.
The $25M renovation was extensive. The 1985 structure was gutted and redesigned. After a competitive request for proposal process, Pfeiffer was selected to design the new library because of its Los Angeles office and experience working on several academic and research libraries, such as the Colorado College Tutt Library, the Seattle University A.A. Lemieux Library, the University of California Santa Barbara Library, and the University of British Columbia Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. DPR was the construction company for the renovation, and this group built USD’s Betty and Bob Beyster Institute for Nursing Research Advanced Practice and Simulation. Other principals on the project were Mary Whelan, Executive Director of University Design; Erin Rogers, Senior Project Manager for Phase I; and Zachary Randel, Senior Project Manager for Phase II. Through a series of Monday morning construction meetings during the 2019-2020 academic year, along with the assistance of the Library Renovation Stakeholders and library employees, the Phase I building concept became a reality. The following year, Phase II of construction on the Mother Hill Reading side of the building was finished.
The transformation of Copley has been amazing.
The new library configuration supports teaching, research, and learning at USD, including the Journals Reading Room, Copley Lounge, Garden Study Room, Faculty Reading Room, one Presentation Room, three seminar rooms, three classrooms, and display and exhibit spaces. The group study rooms have been increased from two to twenty-five.
Active learning now takes place in the group study rooms located around the perimeter of the facility. These rooms come complete with AirMedia players and whiteboards to facilitate collaborative work and study. A few seats exist in the stacks for those students who want to study in solitude and escape the hubbub of campus life. The special collections area was remodeled, and a vault was added to house archival collections (both processed and unprocessed) and rare books, manuscripts, and media on the ground floor. Special collection books, which were hidden for years, will now be accessible to the public. The instruction classrooms are a place for librarians to teach information literacy classes. The Digital Initiatives Lab serves as a collaborative instruction zone in which the Digital Initiatives Librarian and staff work with students and faculty on digital scholarship and pedagogical projects. Throughout the library, the Steelcase Thread system provides students with electrical power. The iconic Mother Hill Reading Room and book stacks were air-conditioned as a part of the renovation. The library’s usable footprint was extended by outside space in front of the library as well as between the Learning Commons and the library. The San Diego climate is perfect for outdoor studying, especially in this time of COVID-19.
The library offers three types of study milieus.
- The first level is active learning, and it is called Copley Gx (Copley Ground Floor Exchange). This section will appeal to first- and second-year students, but anyone who wants to collaborate, talk, or exchange information will desire to be on this level.
- The second level, northeast, is the "Scholar’s Livingroom." The floor plan has the feeling of a comfortable living room. This location is for quiet academic learning.
- The second level, east, is the Mother Hill Reading Room (informally known as the Harry Potter Room) and it is dedicated to silent study.
The new Copley offers a range of study environments and seating options for everyone. The mix of the classic Mother Hill Reading Room and the new areas are the best combinations of a 21st century library. The renovated library was unveiled after one year of planning and interviewing firms, two years of construction, and a delay due to COVID-19.
The library fosters learning and scholarship and is a community resource for the campus.The Library Renovation Committee
- Theresa Byrd – Chair and Dean of the University Library
- Cynthia Avery- Assistant Vice President, Student Life
- Tom Barton- Professor, History
- Barbara Bliss- Associate Professor of Finance
- Sandra Ciallella- Associate Vice President of Development
- Hugh Ellis- Professor, Biology
- Paulina Gabos- Student
- Melissa Gibbons – Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering
- Minh-Ha Hoang- Director of Admissions and Enrollment
- Linnea Leidy- Student
- Ann Mayo- Professor and Nursing Researcher
- Michael O’Brien- Library and Web Services, Information Technology Services
- Ashley Ortega- Student
- Thomas Reifer- Professor, Sociology
- Erin Rogers- Senior Project Manager
- Dustin Sharp- Associate Professor of School of Law
- Joi Spencer- Interim Dean & Professor, School of Leadership and Education Sciences
- Laura Turner- Associate Professor, Head of Collections, Access, and Discovery, Copley Library
- Mary Whelan- Executive Director of University Design & Collections