Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Science and Engineering Library Transformed

  • 10/01/13
MDC Library Collaborative Workspace 

MDC’s IdeaPaint transformed the walls of the DeLaMare Science & Engineering Library into a collaborative workspace for students.

There was a time when the library wasn’t a quiet storehouse of books. It was a vibrant place where scholars gathered to collaborate, discuss and explore. Today, that’s what you’ll find at the DeLaMare Science & Engineering Library at the University of Nevada in Reno. Under the direction of Tod Colegrove, Ph.D., MSLIS, this library has reinvented itself as a hotspot for creative thinkers who thrive in an atmosphere where the ideas are as plentiful as the books.

It was a surprisingly easy transformation: they simply coated the walls with IdeaPaint.

IdeaPaint, which is commercially sold by MDC (a leading supplier of wallcoverings and coatings), turns any smooth surface into a dry erase board. Approximately 20 percent of the DeLaMare library’s walls are now covered in IdeaPaint. It’s a total of about 1,000 square feet of floor-to-ceiling workspace on 13 walls of the four-floor library.

“The active process of learning is important, and it was our goal to turn the library into a place where new knowledge is created every day,” Colegrove explains. When he first stepped into his role as head of the library in 2009, he immediately recognized a need for sizable whiteboard space that could accommodate the kinds of work done by science and engineering students. He first thought of gluing tile boards to the walls, but the university nixed the idea. Then Colegrove heard about IdeaPaint from MDC and knew he’d found the answer. Once it was installed, the change in the library’s atmosphere was virtually immediate.

“The walls have become an incredibly collaborative workspace. It’s a powerful tool because instead of spending time learning privately, these students are solving problems together. I’ve seen an incredible range of work and ideas on the walls — lots of organic chemistry and math problems, and of course the occasional fire-breathing dragon,” Colegrove says with a smile.

www.ideapaint.com

This article originally appeared in the College Planning & Management October 2013 issue of Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.

  • Texas A&M Opens First Building at Fort Worth Campus, Breaks Ground on Research Facility

    The Texas A&M University System marked a major milestone in the development of its Fort Worth campus by opening its first completed academic building and breaking ground on a second facility designed to expand research and industry collaboration.

  • UCF Modernizes College of Hospitality Management

    The University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., recently completed a major renovation effort for the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, according to a news release. The project modernized 77,600 square feet worth of academic classrooms, teaching labs, and collaborative spaces to support both students and faculty.

  • Johns Hopkins Starts Construction on New Residence Hall, Dining Facility

    The Homewood Campus of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., recently began construction on a new residence hall and dining facility, according to university news. The work involves demolishing the existing Alumni Memorial Residence Hall I, which was built in 1923, to make room for the new facility.