#MadeAtLNDL: a hashtag plastered across the library’s open house event this past week. Upon entering the library section of the first floor, staff members were eager to introduce the newest advancements they had to offer this year. Youlanda Halterman is an equipment specialist who trains people to use the new equipment and facilitates tours of the new space.

“Many students hear ‘library’ and immediately think it’s a serious, quiet place to study,” Halterman said, shaking her head and waving her arms around the room, suggesting quite the opposite of her surroundings. “We want the library to be a fun, safe space where people can come together to collaborate.”

The library is introducing many new spaces to collaborate and get work done in groups. From the front of the building to the back, there are a number of open spaces, making it easy to lay out work and sit comfortably as a group. In addition, the minimalistic design of the space makes focusing on work much more manageable than if the room were overpacked with furniture or decor. The area easily echoes Halterman’s goals of creating a space that is safe and collaborative–a space fostering both learning and efficiency.

In addition to new spaces to study and do group work, the library is, for a second year, advertising and encouraging the use of their virtual reality simulator. To use, all a student needs to do is inquire help from the library staff. The simulator is merely another aspect of a student’s education that they can access whenever they wish. There is also new equipment for cutting materials for all kinds of projects, from fabric to vinyl, and everything in between and beyond. Like the virtual simulator, all a student needs to do to use it is ask.

The library set up a photo booth, helped interested students make buttons and served snacks to help advertise the renovations. #MadeAtLNDL, as explained at the open house, refers to the large number of things that can be made, or achieved, with the new aspects of the library. Whether it is a big project or a small study session, the library offers everything, from materials to study spaces, to help make students’ goals realities.