BYU-Idaho first got its start back in 1888, when it was called the Bannock Stake Academy, serving 59 students in total. Their ages ranged from 5-20 years old. In 1923, high school level courses were phased out and it became Ricks College. In the year 2000, Ricks College officially changed into the school we all know today, BYU-Idaho. With centuries of rich history and change, BYU-Idaho still has more change coming your way, like the current project of the David O. McKay Library remodel.
The McKay Library has been a hub for students seeking knowledge and a quiet place to study. But according to University Librarian Chris Olsen, it has become quite outdated for what students need today.
“(The renovation) has been something that we’ve been looking at for the last 12 or 15 years,” Olsen said. “Last Fall semester we had over 23,000 students on campus, so we just need to provide a space that’s bigger, better, for those students.”
Olsen says he’s excited about the changes the renovation will bring to students. Changes that students have been asking for like more group study rooms. The McKay Library currently has seven study group rooms available to students on campus, but that number will more than triple with the plan to build 25 rooms in total.
“The way that students study is completely different now than it was when the building was built. If you go into the library, you’ll notice there aren’t a lot of power sources around,” Olsen said. “So, we want to bring power in so that students can use that to charge their laptops, charge their phones or their tablets while they’re studying.”
Another change students will see at the library is the addition of a family-friendly space. Many students who attend the university are married and some have children. That is why the addition of a children’s zone is being designed so kids can play, make noise and be children without the parents’ concern of disturbing other people while they study.
Olsen said the library will be almost unrecognizable by the end of the remodel. He says they are pretty much taking out every interior wall and starting from scratch so the library will have that modern look and feel. Although the space is expanding, there are currently no plans for expanding the collection size of the books available. They will be placed on compact shelving, which will help optimize the use of floor space for study areas, but the collection size is striving to be around the same number as it is now.
The remodel also promises significant benefits for the tutoring center that is currently on the second floor. According to Michael Gentry, the department chair of Academic Success and Tutoring, the Tutoring Center will be expanded to both the first and second floors. The new Tutoring Center will not only grow in size but will also have many more tutors available to students searching for assistance with their schoolwork.
“This will give us an opportunity with more space to expand our services, to expand our reach, to help more students,” Gentry said.
The new tutoring spaces will cater to both quiet study needs and interactive learning, ensuring that students can focus and get the support they need. There will also be multi-purpose classrooms which will allow for a seamless transition from courses to tutoring sessions.
Of course, seeing that this is a major change, starting in August, the west side of the building will be closed for a projected year and a half, then followed by the east side for another year. Students will be asked to find other places to study in the meantime. Despite the temporary inconvenience, both Olsen and Gentry are confident the end result will be worth the wait.
“We know that it’s going to be hard for the next two and a half years, but the final project,” Olsen said, “I think it’s going to be something that’s going to be amazing once it’s done.”