Students looking for a place to study and collaborate with classmates now have a place dedicated to them on the sixth floor of the James A. Gibson Library.

“Our goal is to make sure the library remains the preferred study and collaboration space on campus,” said interim University Librarian Jonathan Younker. “This space is for students. We used their feedback to create the space.”

Fourth-year Kinesiology students Natasha Prokofiew and Kelsey Zwicker are happy with the new area, which has plenty of outlets and small tables where they can plug in their laptops and work together.

Fourth-year Kinesiology students Natasha Prokofiew, left, and Kelsey Zwicker are enjoying the new group study space on the sixth floor of the James A. Gibson Library.

“It’s always hard to find a place to sit and I like this environment better than individual cubbies,” Zwicker said.

Prokofiew agreed, adding: “I never liked studying by myself, I always need some noise and distraction.”

Associate University Librarian Deb Kalvee said the space used to house racks of journals, most of which are now available online.

“We were able to compress and move things,” she said.

Kalvee worked with students to find out what their wants and needs were for the space and co-ordinated the renovation.

The new space on the sixth floor has doubled the number of students it can accommodate in small groups, including in a number of semi-enclosed study spaces complete with white boards.

Study spaces on the fifth and seventh floors are also undergoing upgrades.

Group learning space on the sixth floor or library.