A New Chapter for Our Library

This December will mark the beginning of an exciting new chapter for our College. On Friday, December 19, Saint Albert Hall Library will close its doors, and services will be temporarily relocated to allow for a long-awaited, full-scale renovation—one that will reimagine the library as a dynamic hub for study, collaboration, research, and discovery.

We anticipate that the renovated library will reopen in Fall 2027. When it does, it will feature:

• Flexible, student-centered spaces designed for both quiet study and group collaboration;
• An expanded Learning Lab, Graduate Commons, and additional study rooms;
• A refreshed environment that showcases student and faculty scholarship;
• Innovative spaces, including areas dedicated to games, exhibitions, and creative expression;
• Improved HVAC systems, new sprinklers, better accessibility, and seismic upgrades to improve overall safety.

In the meantime, library services will remain fully available. Beginning Monday, February 2, 2026, an interim library space will open in the Power Plant, offering a service desk, technology checkout, course reserves, study rooms, and a curated collection for browsing. More than 80 percent of the library’s collection is already digital, and print materials can be easily requested and accessed through the library and interlibrary loan services.

We know the library is a vital study destination. Efforts are underway to identify alternative study spaces across campus, and the library will post a searchable guide online, offering step-by-step instructions on how to use our interim library services. From research support to events, the library will continue to provide resources to meet the needs of students, faculty, and staff during construction.

This renovation is more than a building project. It is a bold investment in our academic mission and in the success of every student and scholar who comes to Saint Mary’s.

I am grateful to the many colleagues who are making this possible, particularly our Dean of the Library and Academic Resources, Lauren MacDonald, and her dedicated team. I look forward to seeing how this revitalized library will serve and inspire generations of Gaels to come.

More information and updates will soon be available through the library website.

Sincerely,

Roger J. Thompson, EdD
President