Inaugural Zar Symposium at U of C
Submissions and Proposals Requested:
Small-Scale, High-Impact Renovations: Redesigning Library Spaces on a Budget
Many Greater Midwest Region members remember Kathleen A. Zar who joined the staff of the University of Chicago (U of C) Library in 1967. She rose to a leadership position as head of the Rosenwald Library, which housed the geology and geophysics collections.
In the early 1980s, the John Crerar Library, a private independent research library, merged with the University of Chicago Library. The University built a new facility to combine the Library’s existing science resources with the Crerar collections. When the new Crerar Library opened, Kathleen was appointed Head of Reference and Subject Services for the Science Libraries.
In 1994, Kathleen became the Science Librarian of the University. From 1999 to 2003, Kathleen had responsibility for Administrative and Desktop Systems. She spearheaded many Library-wide projects and initiatives.
Fitting Kathleen’s legacy at the University of Chicago is the Inaugural Kathleen A. Zar Symposium, entitled Small-Scale, High-Impact Renovations: Redesigning Library Spaces on a Budget, to be held in the Kathleen A. Zar Room at the Crerar Library. The room itself is a local example of a small-scale library renovation project. Read more about the symposium below. See contact information to discuss a possible submission, to submit a proposal or for more information about the symposium.
Small-scale or modular renovations of existing library spaces are becoming increasingly common. Have you created new group study space in your library? Reconfigured stacks areas for new purposes? Collaborated with other units on your campus to pool resources to create small but effective teaching and learning areas in your library? Have you used patron input to guide your small-scale changes? Have you added interesting technology to your spaces at a moderate cost? How are you reimagining your library on a shoestring budget? We’d like to hear your stories about significant improvements achieved through small-scale library renovations.
The format will be a one day symposium with a mix of oral presentations, question and answer sessions, and networking opportunities. We are seeking proposals for oral presentations on the topic of small-scale academic library renovation or space repurposing projects in libraries. Proposals should contain a brief abstract, your name and title, and the name of your library or organization. Approximately 5-8 proposals will be accepted for oral presentation. Presentations not accepted for oral session may be considered for a poster session. The deadline for proposals is March 3, 2009.
This symposium will be held in the Kathleen A. Zar Room at the University of Chicago’s John Crerar Library on Friday, May 8 2009. (Please note this is a change from the original announcement of May 15, 2009).
The symposium series is made possible through the generous support of Howard Zar.
Contact Andrea Twiss-Brooks by email [atbrooks (at) uchicago.edu] to discuss a possible submission, to submit a proposal or for more information about the symposium.
Andrea Twiss-Brooks
Co-Director, Science Libraries Division
voice: 773-702-8777 fax: 773-702-3317
John Crerar Library, University of Chicago
5730 S. Ellis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60637-1402
