For over 50 years, the E.Y. Berry Library has served as the information center for BHSU students and the campus community. After two years of construction, the library is back in business.

Since its construction in 1973, the Berry Library had not received anything more than minor repairs and equipment updates until Feb. 11, 2021, which marks the beginning of the largest renovation project the building has ever seen.

“This renovation will change the library, placing a greater focus on one-stop help for students and co-location of student services to greatly enhance student success,” said Laurie Nichols, BHSU president in an announcement of the project. “Libraries continue to evolve to meet student needs. This visionary plan allows our library to enhance their information services by utilizing technology in an even more significant way.”

Aaron Bauerly, the systems librarian and Makerspace coordinator, played a role in developing concepts for the soon-to-be-updated library and troubling-shooting during the construction.

“Since [the construction of the Berry Library], it had seen no actual improvements or updates other than basic maintenance,” Bauerly said. “So it had electrical runs and stuff that have been here since the 70s. Stuff like that makes it really hard to continue to add in modern equipment. So, the renovation truly was, like, strip it all the way down and then build it back up.”

The project cost BHSU and the state a total of $9.3 million in order to implement all of the desired concepts. However, before the actual construction began, BHSU wanted to get the opinion of the student population.

“Years before the renovation even started we started doing focus groups with students,” Bauerly said. “The first thing we did was we had all these big posters that got put up throughout the room, and students got to go through with colored stickers and place a sticker on the poster that spoke to them.”

The 60,000-square-foot renovation of the library concluded in December of 2022 and was reopened to students and the public.

The Berry Library now includes student help centers, academic help centers, a career center, food and beverage accommodations and private study rooms for students.

“One of the things that renovation was focused on was student space,” Bauerly said. “We went from having one group study room to having three on the first floor and five on the second.”

Construction on the second floor remains partially unfinished; however, BHSU expects to keep the doors open regardless.