By: Jennifer Garland
Summer 2010 saw a refurbishment and reorganization of the Blackader-Lauterman space, thanks to a gift from the SSMU’s Library Improvement Fund. These improvements are immediately visible upon entering the library: the entrance has been opened up considerably, with the removal of a wall of journal storage units, the move of desktop computers to the north end of the space and new location for the information desk.
The physical space was cleaned up with a fresh coat of paint, new carpet, and new furniture, including tables equipped with power for laptop users. The two staff offices were transformed into spaces for McGill faculty and students: a seminar room, overlooking the campus, with space for up to 15 people and a PhD study room, with desks for 8 students.
The stacks were also reorganized in an effort to make the collection easier to navigate, meaning that almost every single volume in the library was moved to a new location. The Main LC run now flows in one unbroken sequence, with journals integrated and folio books moved out to a section of their own. The Urban Plan collection was moved to the end of the A-Z sequence, at south end of the library. New shelving was added to allow for this reorganization and for future growth in the collection. Thanks to our team of Student Navigators who assisted in moving the collection: Mari Vihuri, Christina Commisso, Kush Prithipaul, Kishan Prithipaul, and Emily Dobby.
The Blackader Library was created in the 1920s with an endowment from the family of Gordon Home Blackader, a graduate of the McGill School of Architecture who lost his life in WWI. In the 1940s, a second endowment was received from the family of Dinah Lauterman, in memory of the Montreal sculptor. Today, the portraits of Blackader and Lauterman hang together over the library’s new information desk, where library staff assist students and faculty from its three main subject areas: Art History, Architecture and Urban Planning. Service is available in Blackader-Lauterman Monday-Friday, 11-5.
The inauguration of the renovated Blackader-Lauterman space is set for Monday, November 29th from 5:00-6:00pm.
