In our efforts to develop ways to make our print collections more visible and usable, the ASU Library has shifted to a more flexible, user-driven approach that has produced more inclusive, high-quality print collections for ASU students and scholars.
Regarding books, here’s what to expect in Hayden Library come January:
Concourse: The Concourse Classroom Collections are a collaboration of ASU librarians, faculty and students aimed at enhancing the curriculum taught in the eight classrooms located on this floor. Our curation teams work in dynamic collaboration to present small active collections that change and grow each semester in concert with the coursework and activities slated on this floor.
Level 1: This level houses two reading rooms designed to draw attention and provide greater access to materials from the ASU Library’s Distinctive Collections, University Archives and Labriola National American Indian Data Center. The first is a formal reading room where visitors, assisted by trained library personnel, can view rare and unique materials that are not available for checkout. The second is the Luhrs Arizona Reading Room, which will feature a selection of materials focused on the Southwest and available to browse and check out
Level 2: This floor is home to our community-curated collections, many of which are selected by students for students. Books are made visually interesting and highly-browsable by utilizing new display strategies and methods of organization. Using print materials as tools for engagement is intended to encourage reading and foster lifelong learning.
Explore topics of interest, organized by thematic categories, in our Sun Devil Reads collection, and browse our themed book displays located next to several of our seating areas.
Level 4: The collections on this floor include highly used and recently acquired items of relevance and interest to History, Humanities, Literature and other disciplinary clusters. This floor also features the Scholars Enclave, a hand-curated collection that redefines the traditional reference collection to feature works that are suited for in-person research. Around the floor, we invite you to explore featured collections that highlight scholarship and offer insight into our book collections over time.
You may be wondering what it will take to get hundreds of thousands of books back on Hayden Library shelves. The answer is months of meticulous planning, weeks of physical labor and many hours of careful shelving. You'll be able to see - and explore - the end result starting January 13.