Campus & Beyond New Era, New Olin: Library Unveils Sweeping Interior Renovations Stories You May Like Iconic Olin Library ‘Call Board’ to Get a (Literal) Glow-Up Flower Power: In Olin Library, a Study Space with Botanical Flair What’s Tiny, Bookish, and Made of Bricks? Lego Olin Library! Take a photo tour of the redesigned spaces—including a glow-up of the iconic call board, now a colorful custom clock 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. Rare and Manuscript CollectionsThe 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. 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! The main floor boasts a more open floor plan and new seating and study areas. Multicolored LEDs illuminate the call board numerals. Stories You May Like Iconic Olin Library ‘Call Board’ to Get a (Literal) Glow-Up Flower Power: In Olin Library, a Study Space with Botanical Flair The first floor has a panoramic view of the Arts Quad—and a new entrance. Research materials are on display in the new Anthropology Collaboratory. A student study space on the first floor. The updated furniture includes several uniquely shaped pieces. The circulation and help desks have been combined. The Map Room, whose entrance was renovated. 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 Kate Krueger, Class of 2005 16 Sep, 2025 A shoutout to the architecture/ interiors/ engineering design team would be nice. Reply Ray Matthews, Class of 1975 5 Oct, 2025 My ex-wife worked at the circ desk in the 1970s before we were married while I studied upstairs with the caged rare book collections and carrels. The 1983 photo of the circulation is exactly as I remember it, but I don’t recognize anything else LOL. That’s a good thing! I remember the day when Olin acquired the first two humongous Xerox wet photocopiers, the ones with the curved platens, in the copy room across from circulation. It was a fantastic new innovation to be able to copy pages from books! Reply 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 Carl Anderson, Class of 1968 6 Oct, 2025 I remember studying at long tables, sitting on hardwood chairs, in the glassed-in study area facing the quad in the late ’60s, and as a senior getting a much valued stack pass because I was taking a French history class in an upstairs seminar room. I’m sure students today take the upper floors for granted, but I was overawed by the freedom to walk among the million or so books up there. I count that experience as a factor in my decision to seek and accept a job in Olin’s cataloging department, where I worked from 1969 to 1976. During that time the administration encouraged me to get my professional degree, gave me the opportunity to specialize in library automation, and launched me upon a satisfying life-long career. I’m delighted to see the changes described and pictured in this article. Bravo! Reply Leave a Comment Cancel replyOnce your comment is approved, your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment * Name * Class Year Email * Save my name, email, and class year in this browser for the next time I comment. Δ Other stories You may like Campus & Beyond Revisiting a Professor’s Fictional ‘Lost Civilization’ Chime In Remember Applying to College? Now It’s Your Kids’ Turn Ask the Expert What’s Up with Electric Vehicles?