By Alexa Cheaney and Bryson Adkins
The Grand Rapids Community College Learning Resource Center approved a 16.8 million dollar budget bill earlier this year. Home of the Career Counseling & Development Center, Library and Learning Commons, Disability Support Services and other student resources, the LRC hopes to have renovation plans finalized this July, with construction tentatively beginning in January of 2025.
While renovations are currently in the planning phase, Interim Associate Dean of Student Success – Support & Retention and Director of Library and Learning Commons Brian Beecher shared that the goal is, “To make a space with what students need and can use.”
Half of the funding for renovations will come from GRCC, while the other half will come from the state of Michigan. Total costs are estimated to be $33.6 million.
Beecher hopes these expansions will provide a productive place for students enrolled in night classes. Currently, The Library and Learning Commons is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with limited hours on Friday, open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“The library is open in the evening and on weekends too,” said Beecher. “We are trying to expand our services for students who take classes at night and being able to be a place where students can still get help or have a place that’s open during the times many other departments are closed.”
While the LRC is under construction, the library will be temporarily located on the 5th floor of Raleigh J. Finkelstein Hall. GRCC has over 400,000 E-book options available for students, and physical copies of books will be placed in storage for the duration of construction. Students will still be able to check out hard copies of books but may have to wait a week or two for them to be available.
In addition to expanding on resources already accessible through the LRC, Beecher hopes to include a cafe.
“We are building a state-of-the-art student center,” said Beecher.
Construction on the new and improved LRC is expected to last 18 months.
