Fall Program Features Presentation on Library Transformation Plans

On September 20, 2022, retired faculty and staff learned about the $73 million Kennedy Library transformation project scheduled for completion in Fall 2025, with move-in during 2026. While noshing on a delicious complimentary luncheon hosted by Library Services, attendees heard from Dean of Library Services Adriana Popescu about this much-anticipated renovation, which will feature an energy efficient, sustainable design with improved student study spaces and more.The project, Popescu said, will receive $68 million in funding from the Chancellor's Office; the remaining amount must be funded by the University.

In June 2023, the current library will close. During the renovation, some services will move to Crandall Gymnasium.

Goals for the library's transformation include:

• Connect + Enrich: Strengthen campus community, internally and externally.
• Showcase + Celebrate: Showcase work that embodies Learn by Doing, the Teacher-Scholar model, and collections.
• Strengthen Learn by Doing: Support student, faculty, and staff success.
• Optimize Building Performance: Reduce operating costs while increasing thermal comfort; upgrade building systems; reduce energy use; improve lighting and daylight; increase usable space without building an addition.

Zach Smith, Vice President for Advancement, spoke to the group about identifying donors interested in funding a "Reading Room in the Sky," which will require an addition $5 million. Spanning the library's fourth and fifth floors, this unique space would celebrate Cal Poly's beautiful surroundings while adding 3,000 square feet of new seating.

To lend financial support to the Library's transformation, click here. To view the slides Popescu used in her presentation, including an artist's rendering of the "Reading Room in the Sky," click here.