a patron passes the new, combined circulation and help desk in the renovated main floor of Olin Library

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By Joe Wilensky

A major renovation of Olin Library’s main floor and lower levels, completed in summer 2025, has given the venerable campus building a long-awaited overhaul of some of its most-used common areas.

A reopening celebration was held in late August, capping a project that spanned several years beginning with brainstorming sessions and a feasibility study in 2019; construction began in December 2024.

students gathered at the Olin Library information desk, 1983
Rare and Manuscript Collections
The circulation desk and call board in 1983.

The renovations include sweeping changes to the first floor, combining what had been separate circulation and help desks into one; a more open floor plan; and a permanent additional entrance on the Arts Quad side.

One floor down, the Map Collection entrance has been reconfigured and a new student commons area added. A new space was created for the Anthropology Collaboratory, home to several collections that used to reside in McGraw Hall.

The renovations include sweeping changes to the first floor, combining what had been separate circulation and help desks into one.

A signature element of the project was the reimagining and repurposing of the iconic call board, which for decades alerted students that books and other materials were ready for pick-up.

(From its 1961 opening until the 1990s, Olin was a “closed-stack” research library: only faculty and grad students were typically allowed to browse and retrieve materials.)

The call board has been turned into a programmable LED-lit display as part of a project by engineering professor Joe Skovira, PhD ’90, and several of his students.

professor Joe Skivora, PhD ’90, and his engineering students work on the rewiring of the iconic Olin Library call board display, during which they installed a computer, used new multicolored LED lights to replace old incandescent bulbs, and reused as much of old the wiring as possible
Prof. Joe Skovira, PhD ’90, and students work on the call board.

The board’s numbered display now serves as a dynamic, multicolored clock; it also can be programmed for other uses. (It generated random numbers, for example, for a raffle held during the celebration.)

The new board uses 900 LEDs—and even with all its lights illuminated, it draws only 15% of the power used by the original, which had incandescent bulbs.

Scroll down for a look at some of Olin’s redesigned spaces!

new study tables, seating, and shelving shown in the renovated main floor of Olin Library

The main floor boasts a more open floor plan and new seating and study areas.

a portion of the the repurposed call board, with new multicolored LED lights having replaced the old incandescent bulbs

Multicolored LEDs illuminate the call board numerals.

new study tables, seating, and shelving, along with the new Arts Quad entrance, are visible in this view of the renovated main floor of Olin Library

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The first floor has a panoramic view of the Arts Quad—and a new entrance.

patrons visit an exhibit about the Anthropology Collaboratory in Olin Library during its grand reopening event in August; the collaborators houses several collections and groups formerly located in McGraw Hall, including the Anthropology and Cornell Institute of Archaeology & Material Studies (CIAMS)

Research materials are on display in the new Anthropology Collaboratory.

patrons sit near the windows on the Arts Quad side of the renovated main floor of Olin Library

A student study space on the first floor.

new seating in part of the renovated main floor of Olin Library

The updated furniture includes several uniquely shaped pieces.

the new, combined circulation and help desk in the renovated main floor of Olin Library

The circulation and help desks have been combined.

patrons look at maps on display in the Olin Library Map Room, which saw its entrance renovated as part of the 2025 redesigns

The Map Room, whose entrance was renovated.

new seating in part of the renovated main floor of Olin Library

The project created more inviting spaces in common areas.

Top: The combined circulation and help desk. (Photos courtesy of Cornell University Library, unless otherwise indicated.)

Published September 15, 2025

Comments

  1. Kate Krueger, Class of 2005
    16 Sep, 2025

    A shoutout to the architecture/ interiors/ engineering design team would be nice.

    Reply
  2. MARIA ANTONIA GARCES
    17 Sep, 2025

    I am retired professor currently living overseas. The renovations are fantastic, inviting for both students and faculty alike. I wish they could have been done before, during my time at Cornell.

    Reply

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