During the past year, the Health Center Library at Case Western Reserve University has received a complete makeover.

The recently completed project began in December 2002 and cost $2.5 million.

Close to 200 hundred fans of the library attended a recent reception to celebrate the renovation and to view the changes.

The Health Center Library, in the Robbins Building (formerly known as the east wing) of the School of Medicine, was constructed more than 30 years ago and had received few updates since that time.

The most noticeable difference resulting from the recent work is the library's improved appearance. Greeting patrons are a new entry way, repainted walls, re-carpeted floors, new lights, new tiles in the ceiling and new furniture.

Some of the changes were based on a survey, conducted by the library, that revealed that most students wanted the option of studying alone, so individual study areas with acoustic paneling to reduce noise have been created. Also, new study carrels have been configured with single, double and triple seating arrangements. Group study tables with movable dividers, as well as newly refurbished study rooms, are now available. All of the seating is located by windows.

Other changes benefit studying patrons as well. Long-dormant electrical outlets have been activated, allowing visitors to plug in laptop computers and save their batteries. Patrons also can connect to the university's wireless network from anywhere in the library. And photocopiers, formerly placed throughout the library, have been moved to one location, making their noise less troublesome.

Also, existing bookshelves were rearranged, and some were added. All shelves are 36 inches apart to accommodate access by people in wheelchairs, and the bathroom and elevator are accessible for people with disabilities. Other changes include the creation of a computer training lab and conference room, and a new reference and circulation desk. The heating, air conditioning, and ventilation system has been replaced, and a sprinkler system was installed.

Several generous donations made the renovation possible:

• The Elisabeth Severance Prentiss Foundation contributed $1 million for the renovation of the public space in the library. This grant represents an expansion of the relationship that began when Elisabeth Severance Prentiss donated the funds to construct the Allen Memorial Medical Library, which opened in 1926.

• The William Gwinn and Elizabeth Ring Mather Foundation and the Firman Fund both donated funds to refurbish group study rooms.

• M. Peter Scibetta, a 1958 alumnus of the Case medical school, donated funds for equipment and software to furnish workstations specially designed for physically disabled users.

• Another medical school alumnus, William Huffman, of the Class of 1943, created the Huffman Bricks and Mortar Fund for the project.

Small group rooms and the equipment for the computer training room await benefactors.

For more information about making a donation, contact the School of Medicine's Office of Development and Alumni Relations at 368-6830 or 800-315-4438.

Return to the online edition of the 11-13-03 Campus News.