A new grant will fund major renovations to the Lilly Library that will nearly double its size and add a new entrance, café space, assembly space and more.
In June, The Duke Endowment, a private foundation based in Charlotte, awarded a second $10 million grant towards renovating the library, moving the East Campus staple one step closer towards a considerable transformation. An earlier $10 million grant was issued in October 2021, also from The Duke Endowment.
The design team from Dewing Schmid Kearns is now in its final stages of planning, and construction is projected to begin in early 2024 once the remaining funding is raised through donations. The construction is scheduled to be completed in 2027, the same year as the library’s 100th anniversary.
“We are grateful to The Duke Endowment for this transformational gift and their continued support for Lilly Library,” President Vincent Price said. “This is an exciting moment in Lilly’s nearly 100-year history, as we look forward to the many ways the renovation will enhance the East Campus experience and support our first-year students’ success.”
The library’s interior and exterior will be updated, and its size will increase by 78%, from 31,500 square feet to 56,300. The renovations will mean more seating, project rooms and study spaces. The building, which first opened in 1927, will also have its heating and cooling systems, lighting, technology and furnishings updated.
The East Campus library’s $45 million renovation is no small project, but many believe the now nearly century-old library is in desperate need of a makeover. Aaron Welborn, director of communications for Duke Libraries, cited the need for a “casual spot to hang out and get coffee” on East and students’ frequent comments about the basement’s “creepy and uncomfortable environment.”
“We completely agree, and that’s why this new renovation will provide the kind of library experience on East Campus that students are accustomed to getting now on West Campus,” he said. “Duke’s East Campus deserves a library like this, and that’s what we’re hoping to provide.”
Joe Salem, the university librarian and vice provost for library affairs, also expressed his excitement about transforming Lilly into a social, collaborative space.
“One of the things that I think we're not offering in our current space in Lilly is the ability for students to work in teams and collaboratively, and that just reflects the differences in the curriculum and the differences in the way that we ask students and faculty to work now compared to in 1927,” he said.
Salem hopes that the renovated library can provide spaces for faculty mentorship and engagement outside of the classroom, something that he thinks happens more often on West Campus. He also noted that the library will see some aesthetic changes to “restore [Lilly] to some of its original beauty” and highlight the library’s art and film collections.
While the library is being renovated, over 1,700 residents of East Campus will instead have to use the music library in Biddle Music Building or the libraries on West Campus. There will also be a temporary space on East Campus for library services, according to Welborn.
Despite the disruption, Welborn is sure the changes will be worthwhile.
“I think the renovation is going to dramatically improve the student experience over on East Campus,” he said. “I think it's going to be a kind of destination for a lot of students on campus in ways that the Perk and Vondy are a destination on West Campus.”
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