The Brown Library has completed a move of hundreds of books to the first floor and opened up the third floor for a new uses.

Dr. Mark McCallon, associate dean of library services, said more than 385,000 books have been relocated to compact shelving on the first floor.

“We wanted to improve access to users for print books,” he said. “We feel it’s important for materials to be in the same place.”

In October 2013, the Brown Library opened the Maker Lab to encourage increased library use. And this year, the Brown Library has acquired a full-blown Starbucks and saw a massive transformation of the first and third floors.

Aside from the theology and reference works, all printed materials are now located on the first floor.

“Not only are books all in one place, but the first floor offers better lighting and climate control which creates a better environment for storing books,” McCallon said.

The lack of bookshelves opens the third floor granting more visibility for the graduate commons and allows room for further improvement. The library, Learning Studio, Adams Center administration and the Provost are working together to determine uses for those spaces.

“The short-term plans are to move additional seating up to the third floor for students to work in,” McCallon said. “The long-range planning is still ongoing. I would like to see academic space for students that can provide different seating options and hopefully a variety of technologies, things like a screening room for theatrical viewing or an expanded computing center.”

So far, the amount spent on first-floor renovations has totaled to more than $800,000, most of which was spent on new compact shelves.

“Side by side, there are over 6.6 miles of bookshelves on the first floor,” said Chad Longley, Maker Lab manager. “This is a reflection of a trend we see in libraries across the country, a transition from a place to store books to a diverse learning space. I am sympathetic to those who want to go to a library and see lots of books.”