The Library as Sanctuary: Students Share Ideas with Designer Maya Lin
Published January 27, 2016
As she viewed posters of students’ ideas for the interior of a new Neilson Library, designer Maya Lin noted a common theme in all of their projects.
“For all the media around them, the students are after quiet,” said Lin, who is partnering with Shepley Bulfinch design firm on the reimagining of Smith’s library. “They are seeking a place to escape, a sanctuary, a psychologically calming space.”
Lin was on campus January 22 for a preliminary meeting with Smith’s Library Design Committee. Chaired by President Kathleen McCartney, the committee will guide input from the campus community as the redesign of Neilson moves forward.
Lin’s visit to Smith coincided with a daylong symposium on “Libraries for the Future” hosted by the Lewis Global Studies Center. Participants in the conference—which was aimed at students, faculty, librarians and other researchers—talked about how to increase access to library resources for people around the globe.
The keynote speaker, French political scientist and historian Patrick Weil, shared his work as founder of the nonprofit Libraries Without Borders, and addressed the challenges libraries face in an increasingly interconnected world.
During the symposium, Lin stopped by the Campus Center to view an exhibition of students’ ideas for a new Neilson, which will be the college’s largest capital project in a decade. The student posters were created as part of coursework in a range of disciplines at Smith exploring the future of libraries.
The library redesign, which began in 2010, is the first renovation of Neilson since 1982. The programming phase—aimed at creating a guiding framework for what will be housed in a future Neilson, and wrapping up this month—involved more than 1,864 contacts with members of the Smith community.
The project now moves into a new stage, led by the Library Design Committee. Construction on a reimagined library is expected to begin in 2017.
As she took in the students’ work during the symposium, Lin noted the students’ level of involvement in the Neilson redesign.
“Students are really engaged in the project,” Lin said. “It’s nice to see where their thoughts are.”