Heavy construction on the Wittson Hall and McGoogan Library renovations, which include the creation of the privately-funded Wigton Heritage Center, is set to kick off June 3. Expect detours or interrupted walkways soon thereafter.
More updates will be available as that date approaches, but the UNMC community is encouraged to check out the library’s Renovation FAQ page. You also can get Wigton/Wittson/McGoogan news in real time at the Central Campus Construction blog.
The library officially closes May 5, but, “Our staff will be just as visible on campus,” said Emily McElroy, director of the McGoogan Library. She noted that 98 percent of the library’s collections are electronic, so access will be largely uninterrupted. Library staff will be readily available through email, chat and text.
The biggest disruption for library patrons will be a temporary lack of study space, McElroy said.
But, the Wigton/Wittson/McGoogan projects, set for occupancy in the winter of 2021, will be exciting. Library improvements will include:
- Increased natural lighting;
- Upgraded IT infrastructure;
- More than 50 study rooms;
- Enhanced makerspace facilities;
- Expanded writing center and E-learning facilities; and
- A “faculty commons” area to better support educators in light of UNMC’s evolving interprofessional/experiential learning model.
Many of the renovations will be made with previous and ongoing student input in mind, McElroy said.
Wittson Hall will feature improved classrooms and conference rooms, with distance-learning technology and upgraded gender-neutral restrooms that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It also will boast an impressive presentation space for events.
Wittson’s fourth floor will be an extension of the heritage center, library special collections, a cafe and lounge seating.
The multi-level, 10,000-square-foot Wigton Heritage Center will celebrate and memorialize UNMC’s history, while also serving as a campus welcome center. It will include gallery and digital exhibit space.
The partnership with the Wigton Heritage Center will allow the McGoogan Library to take previously-hidden prized collections and showcase them to the public, McElroy said.
The projects will result in an improved entrance and façade on 42nd Street, with windows and natural lighting, said Mandy Wetterberg, facilities planner on the projects.
Currently, labs and classrooms are being shifted, as are library staff.
“I give a lot of credit to Facilities,” McElroy said. “It’s just one big puzzle.”
A date for an official groundbreaking ceremony is yet to be determined.