\u201cThis renovation was made possible by a generous grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust<\/strong>, and we are extremely grateful for its continued partnership in supporting the work of the Libraries.\u201d<\/p>\nJohn Culshaw, Jack B. King university librarian<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n The look and function of the fourth floor have undergone many shifts over the past 50 years but perhaps none as seismic as the renovation unveiled in the spring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c<\/strong>These transformational changes allow us to continue helping students thrive, graduate, and launch their careers, as well as support the success of our faculty,\u201d says John Culshaw, Jack B. King university librarian. \u201cThis renovation was made possible by a generous grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, and we are extremely grateful for its continued partnership in supporting the work of the Libraries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n The new design is responsive to student needs, given the changing nature of study and the environments that support it. A half-century of technological advancement means that library users now work more collaboratively than they once did, and students spend less time browsing the physical stacks for relevant materials, opting to pinpoint their research needs with the help of librarians and through a sophisticated online catalog, InfoHawk+. The 50th anniversary year provided an opportunity to recalibrate the physical space to match.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVisitors can now choose among a variety of seating options and group study rooms that cover the spectrum between individual and collaborative work,\u201d says Lawrence. \u201cThe space is bright and versatile, illuminated by skylights in the vaulted ceiling. It creates a sense of openness and possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Those who value solitude and quiet still have many options on the fourth floor, including comfortable \u201cpods\u201d with retractable footrests and built-in privacy screens. For students and researchers looking to discuss ideas, the bright and sound-dampened study rooms along the perimeter of the space ensure that their conversations are contained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Amid all this change, there\u2019s been one constant: Hardin\u2019s users, past and present, express a distinct sense of gratitude for the library and its staff. Those users include Dr. Vijay Kamalumpundi, who received an MD in May and is headed to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, to begin his residency in internal medicine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen I think back to my eight years at Iowa, there\u2019s always been one point of continuity for me, and that\u2019s been the library services offered at the Hardin Library,\u201d says Kamalumpundi. \u201cHaving a space for students to be able to gather and have a sense of community is really the basis behind every strong academic institution.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n The renovations also included creating a new reading room for the John Martin Rare Book Room (JMRBR), which houses more than 6,500 volumes of medical texts from the 15th through the 21st centuries. The new space is designed to provide an optimal environment for delicate materials, as well as enough space for classes and visiting researchers from the university and all over the world to interact with rare items from the collection. These updates were made possible through support from the Friends of the Libraries and other sources.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n![\"student](\"https:\/\/blog.lib.uiowa.edu\/news\/files\/2024\/08\/DSC_4880-scaled.jpg\")
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The new JMRBR reading room includes new seating to accommodate larger groups of visitors.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n