SUNY Buffalo State’s E.H. Butler Library has some new features in store within the next couple of years. The library will be undergoing $7.83 million in selective renovations.

The library was built in the 1960s, and has not been updated since then.

Though the timeline is an estimate, renovations are expected to begin between summer and fall of 2017, and will be completed between 2018 and 2019.

These renovations will be in addition to what is now the Academic Achievement Center in the library. Funding for this project will come from the SUNY Construction Fund.

“All sorts of tutoring services will be in the new center,” said Director of the Academic Achievement Center Aimee Woznick.

Buffalo State President Katherine Conway-Turner and Provost Melanie Perreault originally had proposed this one-stop-shop model.

“It was this compliant we here from students that they get shuffled all around campus from office to office, but they just want a quick answer to a question,” Woznick said.

The Writing Help Center is already in the library, but will soon be joined by the Calculus Help Center, the Academic Skills Center, including the Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) and Academic Center for Excellence, along with other tutoring services from South Wing, and Student Accessibility Services, Woznick added.

“And we’ll have a big advising component,” Woznick said. “This drop in center is just a preview of that.”

The advisors will be available to help all students and include some specific majors.

“Some of the programs will be streamlined,” Woznick said. “One of the goals of the project is to have more collaboration between the different units.”

Several tutoring services are now available, but Woznick hopes that common training will be given to peer tutors.

“The idea is that students won’t have to go all around campus looking for help,” Woznick said.

She also says that the project is focused on student success.

“We want to remove any obstacles for students for getting help.”

Woznick also hopes that by having many of the tutoring and advising services in one location, it will also take away the stigma that comes with getting tutoring help.

“Hopefully by seeing other students, it’ll become more visible and more accessible,” she said.

More group and individual study spaces are also expected to be added. Woznick also notes the limited outlets available for charging and says more of those will be added.

“Everyone brings their own device now anyways,” she added.

The library collection is also set to change. Old books that are not taken out as often are going to be pulled, and more recent and relevant material will be added. The library will do this by working with faculty in individual departments.

With these changes, the overall look will also change.

“We want it to be fresher, more attractive, and more conclusive for student use,” Woznick said. “We want it to be a place where students go to get stuff done, and should have a mix of studying and relaxing.”

In the meantime, Woznick states that students might notice a little more dust as construction begins. Some sections of the library will be blocked off; but services to students will remain available.

On Dec. 1 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., the architectural consultants for the project will be holding a drop-in session in the lobby of the library. Students will be able to come by and view posters, ask questions and give their own feedback.

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