Renovations modernize Carmichael Library and Harman Hall

December 1, 2021

Over the last several months, a pair of renovation projects has helped modernize UM’s Carmichael Library, Harman Hall and Sims House allowing programs in the two facilities to better serve students, faculty and the community. 

Carmichael Library transformed

Throughout summer 2021, crews worked to transform several areas of the library into state-of-the-art spaces for instruction, research and technology. The library renovations were complete when students returned to campus for the fall 2021 semester.

Through the project, the University’s Anna Crawford Milner Archives were moved from the bottom floor to the top floor allowing for easier access and a greatly expanded space. The location is complemented by the Pat Scales Special Collections Room which was built in 2017 and includes more than 3,000 items donated by Pat Scales ’66 including first-edition Caldecott and Newbery Medal-winning books, children’s and young adult literature of historical significance, pop-up books, intellectual freedom papers, correspondence and memorabilia. The renovation added new walls to the top floor, replaced lighting, added new carpet and installed humidity controls to help preserve the archive’s extensive collection of historic documents. New exterior windows on the library’s north side also allow for more advanced humidity control in the archives. 

The former archives space on the library’s bottom floor was renovated to house the Digital Media Lab’s classroom, 3D printer space, student lab and office space. 

Also on the lower floor, the EBSCO Classroom saw a complete remodel with new lighting, carpet and updated computer lab furniture conducive to interactive and collaborative learning. 

Harman Hall sees updates

Students in the College of Arts & Sciences also received significantly updated learning and research spaces in Harman Hall thanks to the generosity of donors. When students in the college’s math and science curricula arrived on campus for the fall semester they were met with modernized chemistry and biology labs on the first floor of Harman Hall. 

The project gave a much-needed upgrade to the building’s labs and will allow faculty to better prepare students to engage in meaningful undergraduate research while preparing them for successful futures in the math and science fields.