Neilson Library Planning Process
The Library Design Committee, chaired by President Kathleen McCartney worked with the team of Maya Lin Studio and Shepley Bulfinch to ensure that the college’s design and aesthetic ambitions for the new Neilson Library were realized in the context of its program requirements as well as the campus as a whole.
The overall design was shared with the campus community in the fall of 2016. Neilson closed for construction in the summer of 2017 until the completion of the project in early 2021. The majority of Neilson’s general collections were housed in the new Five College Library Annex in nearby Hatfield, MA and books were delivered to campus as requested throughout the construction period. Special Collections remained on campus and available for use in Young Library. Young Library served as the interim hub for library services throughout the duration of the project. See Project Timeline for an overview of project milestones.
Programming Activities
Programming activity began in the spring of 2015, with data gathering and campus input from students, faculty, staff, and alumnae and continued through the summer and fall of 2015. For more information, see Program Committee Engagement Schedule Fall 2015.
Committees & Working Groups
These committees contributed to the planning and design of the new library.
Charge: To identify and prioritize such building elements as user spaces, library services, physical collections, and academic support services and centers, and make recommendations to the president and board, who will make final decisions.
- Katherine Rowe, Provost and Dean of Faculty; chair
- Nancy Bradbury, Professor of English Language and Literature; Libraries Feasibility Committee
- Betsy Carpenter, Development and Campaign Director
- Patrick Coby, Professor of Government
- Charlie Conant, Senior Project Manager, Facilities Management; liaison to architect
- Deborah Duncan ’77, Trustee
- Nalini Easwar, Professor of Physics
- John Eue, Associate Vice President for Public Affairs
- Sarah Evans ’18
- Elizabeth Eveillard, Chair, Board of Trustees, ex officio
- Madeleine Fackler ’80, Trustee
- Barbara Kellum, Professor of Art
- Kimberly Kono, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures
- Tom Laughner, Director of Educational Technology Services
- Donna Lisker, Dean of the College and Vice President for Campus Life
- Christopher Loring, Director of Libraries
- Steve Moga, Assistant Professor of Landscape Studies
- Roger Mosier, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management
- Beth Myers, Director of Special Collections
- Cornelia Pearsall, Professor of English Language and Literature
- Judith Pelham ’67, Trustee
- Barbara Polowy, Head of Hillyer Art Library; staffing the committee
- Danielle Ramdath, Associate Dean of the Faculty
- Dano Weisbord, Director of Campus Sustainability and Space Planning
- Maria Wood AC
Charge: The Library Design Committee worked with the team of Maya Lin Studio + Shepley Bulfinch to ensure that the college’s design and aesthetic ambitions for the new Neilson Library were realized in the context of its program requirements as well as the campus as a whole.
The committee guided input from the Smith community to the design process and provided formal feedback to the Maya Lin + Shepley Bulfinch team at milestones throughout the design process. In addition, the committee was responsible for maintaining alignment between the program, design and budget.
- Kathleen McCartney, President; chair
- Deborah Berger ’86, Trustee
- Nancy Bradbury, Professor of English Language and Literature
- Elizabeth Mugar Eveillard ’69, Chair, Board of Trustees, ex officio
- Michael Howard, Vice President for Finance and Administration
- Barbara Kellum, Professor of Art
- Christopher Loring, Director of Libraries
- Steve Moga, Assistant Professor of Landscape Studies
- Roger Mosier, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management
- Susan Novick ’81, Trustee
- Judith Pelham ’67, Trustee
- Beth Raffeld, Senior Vice President for Alumnae Relations and Development
- Katherine Rowe, Provost and Dean of the Faculty
Charge: To recommend a slate of potential architects to the Buildings and Grounds Committee of the Board of Trustees.
- Kathleen McCartney, President; Chair
- Sanford Belden, Trustee
- Nancy Bradbury, Professor of English Language and Literature; Libraries Feasibility Committee
- Charles Conant, Senior Project Manager, Facilities Management
- John Davis, Alice Pratt Brown Professor of Art
- Elizabeth Mugar Eveillard ’69, Chair, Board of Trustees, ex officio
- Patricia DiBartolo, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Science Center
- Andrew Guswa, Engineering
- Michael Howard, Vice President for Finance and Administration
- Christopher Loring, Director of Libraries
- Roger Mosier, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management
- Lucy Mule, Associate Professor of Education and Child Study
- Beth Myers, Director of Special Collections
- Lois Perelson-Gross ’83, Trustee
- Beth Raffeld, Senior Vice President for Alumnae Relations and Development
- Katherine Rowe, Provost and Dean of Faculty
- Frazer Ward, Associate Professor of Art History and Dean of the Junior Class
- Tom Bernard, Director of Special Projects, staff support
Charge: To identify and prioritize such building elements as user spaces, library services, physical collections, and academic support services and centers, and make recommendations to the president and board, who will make final decisions.
Program Committee-Led Working Groups
Vision
Nancy Bradbury, Professor of English Language and Literature; Betty Eveillard, Chair, Board of Trustees; Christopher Loring, Director of the Libraries; Steve Moga, Assistant Professor of Landscape Studies; Katherine Rowe, Provost and Dean of Faculty (convener)
Collections
Patrick Coby, Professor of Government; Deborah Duncan '77, Chair, Board of Trustees; Barbara Kellum, Professor, Art Department; Rob O'Connell, Director of Discovery & Access; Beth Myers, Director of Special Collections (convener); Danielle Ramdath, Associate Dean of the Faculty; Amy Rhodes, Associate Professor, Geosciences; Pamela Skinner, Head of Collection Development; Maria Wood, Ada Comstock student
User Study Spaces
Sika Berger, User Experience Librarian; Sarah Evans '18; Kim Kono, Associate Professor of East Asian Languages and Literature; Barbara Polowy, Head of the Hillyer Art Library (convener); Maria Wood, Ada Comstock student
Building Co-Occupants
Charlie Conant, Senior Project Manager, Facilities Management; Nalini Easwar, Professor of Physics; Sarah Evans '18; Madeleine Fackler '80, Trustee; Anne Houston, Director for Teaching, Learning & Research; Elisa Lanzi, Director of Digital Strategies & Services; Thomas C. Laughner, Director of Educational Technology Information (convener); Christopher Loring, Director of the Libraries; Roger Mosier, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management; Cornelia Pearsall, Professor of English Language and Literature; Katherine Rowe, Provost and Dean of Faculty; Dano Weisbord, Director of Campus Sustainability and Space Planning
Teaching/Seminar/Instruction Spaces and Technology
Martin Antonetti, Rare Books and Marketing/Outreach Director; Betsy Carpenter, Development and Campaign Director; Floyd Cheung, Associate Professor of English; Yasmin Chin Eisenhauer, Instructional Technologist; Anne Houston, Director for Teaching, Learning & Research (convener); Donna Lisker, Dean of the College and Vice President for Campus Life (subbed as needed by Tina Azengle, Senior Program Administrator to support student engagement); Miriam Neptune, Digital Scholarship Librarian; Judith Pelham '67, Trustee
Sustainability
Steve Moga, Assistant Professor of Landscape Studies; Roger Mosier, Associate Vice President for Facilities Management; Janet Spongberg, Josten Circulation Coordinator; Dano Weisbord, Director of Campus Sustainability and Space Planning (convener)
Library-Led Working Groups
Service Model(s)
Anne Houston, Director for Teaching, Learning & Research (convener); Reese Julian, Circulation Manager; Elisa Lanzi, Director of Digital Strategies & Services; Thomas C. Laughner, Director of Educational Technology Information; Christopher Loring, Director of the Libraries; Beth Myers, Director of Special Collections; Rob O'Connell, Director of Discovery & Access
Special Collections
Martin Antonetti, Curator of Rare Books; Rosetta Cohen, Sylvia Dlugasch Bauman Professor of Education & American Studies; Maida Goodwin, Collections Archivist; Beth Myers, Director of Special Collections (convener); Rob O'Connell, Director of Discovery & Access; Nanci Young, College Archivist
Staff Spaces/Functions
Anne Houston, Director for Teaching, Learning & Research; Elisa Lanzi, Director of Digital Strategies & Services; Christopher Loring, Director of the Libraries; Beth Myers, Director of Special Collections; Rob O'Connell, Director of Discovery & Access (convener); Barbara Polowy, Head of the Hillyer Art Library
Documents & Reports
Program Summary, April 2016
Program Summary Redesign of the Neilson Library Complex April 2016.pdf
The Program Summary provides a framework and direction for the design of the new Neilson Library. The document summarizes the vision, guiding principles and themes, and components of the program as developed by the Program Committee in 2015 and 2016 with wide ranging input from the campus community.
Transformations White Paper, March 2016
The new Neilson Library offers us an unprecedented opportunity to imagine new directions through placed-based transformations of services, tools and collections.
Transformations: Smith Libraries in the 21st Century.pdf
Playback #3 Draft Program, February 2016
Smith Neilson Library Draft Program February 2016.pdf
Collections Working Group Summary Final Report January 2016.pdf
Playback #2 "What We've Done," December 2015
Playback 2 Vision December 2015.pdf
Playback 2 Part 1 Overview December 2015.pdf
Playback 2 Part 2 Collections December 2015.pdf
Playback 2 Part 3 Taxonomy December_2015.pdf
Playback 2 Part 4 Brightspot Academic Experience Research Draft Findings December 2015.pdf
Playback 2 Student Advisory Committee December 2015.pdf
Playback #1 "What We Heard," November 2015
Playback 1 Overview November 2015.pdf
Playback 1 Brightspot's Research Process November 2015.pdf
Playback 1 Theme 1 Space Types November 2015.pdf
Playback 1 Theme 2 Research November 2015.pdf
Playback 1 Theme 3 Collections November 2015.pdf
Playback 1 Theme 4 Technology November 2015.pdf
Playback 1 Theme 5 Flexibility November 2015.pdf
Playback 1 Theme 6 Diversity November 2015.pdf
Playback 1 Theme 7 Accessibility November 2015.pdf
Playback 1 Theme 8 Sustainability November 2015.pdf
Principles for Enabling the Library, November 2015
Principles For Enabling The Library November 2015.pdf
The rethinking and redevelopment of the Neilson Library and Alumnae Gym will significantly alter the location and uses of existing spaces on campus, in what are called “enabling projects” – modest alterations that enable the renovation to happen. In order to guide the investment of resources,the provost, facilities and planning teams have together established goals and guiding principles for moves and relocations that will enable the library project.
Library Planning Process Overview, September 2015
Library Planning Process Overview Fall 2015.pdf
Prepared by Shepley Bulfinch, the document includes a Project Scope Diagram, Project Process/Flow Diagram, Program Committee Responsibilities, Timeline, Fall Engagement Calendar, and Methods of Engagement.
Collections Accommodation Study, May 2012
Collections Accommodation Study May 2012.pdf
In 2011 the college commissioned the architectural firm Shepley Bulfinch to evaluate the Libraries' space for its print collections. The Collections Accommodation Study provided an assessment of the Libraries' collection capacities and offered strategies for long-term collection accommodation. Key findings of the study were that the Libraries would start running out of space for collection in 2016 in some facilities and be out of collection growth space in all areas except the Young Science Library by 2018.
Master Plan for the Libraries, December 2010
Master Plan for the Libraries Final Report 2010.pdf
In 2010 the architectural firm Shepley Bulfinch created the Master Plan for the Libraries that provided recommendations and strategies for the college to transform its libraries for the 21st century. The centerpiece of the Master Plan was the recommendation to reimagine and remake Neilson Library. Since 2010 the Master Plan has served to frame the college's thinking as it considered the future of its libraries.