Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies News

Making the Move to the Wilmeth Active Learning Center: FAQs

April 27th, 2017

Purdue University’s newest building, the Thomas S. and Harvey D. Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC), is on schedule to open to the public Monday, August 7.

After the end of the spring 2017 semester, the facility will consolidate six of the nine science libraries to form the Library of Engineering and Science in one location at the heart of campus. The WALC houses 27 collaborative active learning classrooms and will be a daily academic destination for approximately 5,000 Purdue students and faculty. (Read more about the background of the facility at www.lib.purdue.edu/walc/.)

After finals week (May 1-5), Libraries faculty and staff in the Chemistry; Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences (EAPS); Engineering; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences; and Physics libraries will begin the process of moving books and materials from their current locations on the West Lafayette campus to the new WALC or to other locations. The Chemistry; EAPS; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences; and Physics libraries will close at 5 p.m. Friday, May 5; the Engineering Library will close at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6.

Below are some FAQs about the process of the six libraries moving to the new facility.

Q. Will the materials in the EAPs; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences; and Physics libraries be accessible during the move to the Wilmeth Active Learning Center?

A. From May 7-June 11, Purdue Libraries’ users who need materials from the closed libraries can search for and retrieve materials by using the secure Interlibrary (ILL) System or UBorrow. An active Purdue Career ID is required for login. You will be notified when the material you requested is ready for pick up at the ILL Office in the Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) Library or is ready for download. For currently employed West Lafayette faculty, staff, and visiting scholars, we deliver the research material you need to your desktop or office quickly and efficiently.

From June 12 through the opening of the WALC (August 7), users will be able to submit requests for the materials located in the closed locations and pick up their materials from an open library of their choosing. After the WALC opens, materials in the closed libraries can still be requested in the Libraries catalog and will be delivered to an open library of their choosing. Office and desktop delivery for currently employed West Lafayette faculty, staff, and visiting scholars will continue.

For questions, please contact the ILL Office at ill@purdue.edu or via phone at (765) 494-2800.

Q. Which libraries facilities will be open during the move to the WALC?

A. The libraries that will remain open during the move to the Wilmeth Active Learning Center include the:

• Archives and Special Collections
• Aviation Technology Library
• Black Cultural Center
• Hicks Undergraduate Library
• Humanities, Social Sciences, and Education (HSSE) Library
• Mathematical Sciences Library
• Roland G. Parrish Library of Management and Economics
• Veterinary Medical Library

Q. What will the new WALC have to offer?

A. The Library of Engineering and Science in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center will consolidate six engineering and science libraries. The new facility also blends and integrates centrally scheduled active learning classrooms, library/information services, formal study spaces, collaborative work areas, and informal learning spaces. During the class day, 40 percent of the center will be library/study spaces, which, at the end of the class day, during the evening and throughout the night, expand to nearly the entire building. This flexibility of classroom/study/learning space allows for greater building efficiency. Date visualization and 3D printing resources will also be available once the building has opened for use.

In addition, the Reading Room provides a spectacular view of Purdue’s iconic clock tower, and an Au Bon Pain café and bakery will provide food services on the first floor and will open onto the patio adjacent to the building.

Q. After the Wilmeth Active Learning Center opens in August, how many libraries will be open on the West Lafayette Campus?

A. Below is a list of the libraries on Purdue University’s West Lafayette campus before and after the WALC:

Q. What are the libraries’ hours for the remainder of the Spring 2017 semester and the Summer 2017 sessions?

A. The hours of each of Purdue University Libraries are listed at www.lib.purdue.edu/hoursList.

After finals week, Libraries faculty and staff in the Chemistry; EAPS; Engineering; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing, and Health Sciences; and Physics libraries will begin the process of moving books and materials from their current locations on the West Lafayette campus to the new WALC or to other locations. The Chemistry; EAPS; Life Sciences; Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Sciences; and Physics Libraries will close at 5 p.m. Friday, May 5; the Engineering Library will close at 5 p.m. Saturday, May 6.

Note: After the Fall 2017 semester begins, the WALC will remain open 24 hours per day (with PUID card swipe), and, as of Sunday, Aug. 20, the Hicks Undergraduate Library will no longer be open 24 hours per day.

In addition, the Hicks Undergraduate Library’s basement, which includes two IMPACT classrooms, B848 and B853, will close Saturday, May 6. Hicks Library users will no longer be able to access the basement of Hicks (which is one level below the ground floor, or “underground” library) after that date (May 6) until further notice.