Approximately 75% of Boatwright will be under active construction during this period. Library staff will work remotely and from alternate campus locations. All general contact methods — email, chat, text — will remain active and fully monitored.
Learn more about services available over the summer and check out our guide to study spaces.
Reimagining the Academic Library
Boatwright Memorial Library's Vertical Campus
Recognizing that students move through different modes of work throughout their academic journey — and sometimes within the same day — the University of Richmond is developing a new approach to the different spaces and functions within Boatwright Memorial Library.
The library’s design will embrace a vertical zoning approach, creating environments that support everything from quiet study to active learning and creative collaboration. Boatwright will use its vertical architecture to create distinct areas, or "districts," that progress from one need to another.
On the ground floor, the Arts District will be the new home of 8:15 Café and the library’s community and cultural center. With the Book Arts Studio, the Galvin Rare Books Room, and curated exhibit cases, the Arts District will foster the kind of community engagement that transforms a library into a living, breathing space.
The Discovery District on the first floor will serve as a dynamic hub of academic support and technology resources, housing research librarians and the Weinstein Learning Center. The Conservatory District on the second floor will offer quiet study areas and a home to digital scholarship. And in the basement, the Warehouse District will house the library’s more traditional functions — book stacks, study carrels, and group study rooms.
Ground Floor Renderings
Renovation Updates & Timeline
The renovation, which began in May 2023, is on track to be completed for the start of the fall 2025 semester.
Construction on the next phase will begin this summer on the first and second floors as we make space for the Weinstein Learning Center. Those floors will reopen in fall 2026.
Closing this summer
The library building will close May 9–Aug. 3 as the final stages of the renovation are completed.
During that time, reference and instruction librarians will work out of the Refectory, and other library staff will work in temporary offices or remotely. Contact library@richmond.edu for more information.
Learn more about services available during construction.
Reopening in August
- The library's Ground Level (previously B1) and level B2 will reopen Aug. 4, accessible through new lake-facing entrance
- A staffed circulation desk will be on the Ground Level
- All library services will be available for the 2025–26 academic year
- Remainder of the front lawn, walkways, and terrace will reopen
- 8:15 Café opening: TBD
- Lora Robins Gallery Opening: TBD
More about the project
The renovation primarily includes modifying space within the existing footprint of the library (currently 164,700 square feet). The project adds 7,500 square feet (increasing the total to 172,200 square feet).
GENERAL CONTRACTOR
Taylor and Parrish Construction
ARCHITECTURE FIRMS
Studio MB
Gensler
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE FIRM
Jonathan Ceci Landscape Architects
Project highlights include:
- Creating new, unique, and inviting study and gathering spaces, including a two-story enclosed atrium.
- Moving most of the collections to the lowest, B2 level to increase study and collaboration space on the main levels.
- Relocating and expanding the existing 8:15 at Boatwright café to the B1 level (just below the first floor).
- Creating additional entrances on the first floor and B1 levels to provide easier access into the library.
- Reconfiguring the outdoor terrace with enhanced lake views, planters, and a green roof.
- Making the building more accessible from the lake level.
- Providing better access to key spaces within the library, including the Book Arts Studio, the Rare Books & Archival Collections, and the Lora Robins Gallery.
