The Kresge Library underwent a few major changes in layout over the past two years and will celebrate the completion of these changes Thursday.

The event will start at 2 p.m. in Kresge and will feature speakers President Gary Russi, Provost Virinder K. Moudgil, Dean Voelk and Cathryn Cheal, the assistant vice-president of e-Learning and Instructional Support.

In May 2008 Oakland University’s board of administrators approved funding for Kresge to implement a three-pronged project.

The project’s aim was to benefiting students and faculty members. According to Frank Lepkowski, assistant dean of Kresge Library, the project was completed in spring 2009.

The space on Kresge’s second floor that once was used to store government documents has been transformed into the Information Commons area.

The area has been re-designed to not look like a typical library computer center.  The floor is outfitted with computers and desks for studying, but has been arranged in a way that should be more conducive to the student study experience while in Kresge.

“I think that the new area gives students a whole new destination,” Lepkowski said.  “The whole point was to leave space in between the work station.”

The new area gives students access to presentation size screen computers, whiteboards and CopyCam. CopyCam allows students to digitally capture images from whiteboards.

The University Technology Service helpdesk, which was previously in Dodge Hall, can now be found in Kresge. The UTS’ function is to assist students as well as faculty with any technology related problems they may be experiencing.

Unnikrishnan Subhash, an OU graduate student who has worked at Kresge for the last 14 months, said the new layout makes students wishing to get some studying done more comfortable than they were before the Information Commons were built.  

“We get probably two or three times as many students coming here to study now because of the new layout and the fact that it is on the main level,” Subhash said.

E-learning and Instructional Support, in Kresge’s fourth floor, offers support to faculty, staff and students in teaching and learning online.