Steely Library moved into the third and fifth floors of Landrum in May, due to the library getting a new HVAC system. Construction officially began in June and is estimated to  be completed  in March 2027. 

“The heating, ventilation and air conditioning system is totally getting redone in the library building. So, every ceiling tile in the library building is coming out, and a new one is going up,” said Assistant Dean of Steely Library Hailley Fargo.  

Until construction is finished and Steely Library moves back to its original home, it will be a change for students and faculty who use library resources. Steely began providing tours in Landrum in August to help with any confusion.  

The goal of these tours for the next few weeks is to bring students, faculty and staff in to show them the library services and where everything is.  

Fargo understands it is a tough challenge “to reach every NKU student to let them know, come over here, don’t go over there.” 

Hours are staying the same: Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to  5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 7 p.m. 

On the third floor, to the left is where the third floor service desk is located. Walls were torn down into open spaces.  

Steely has kept its whiteboard prompt with this month asking student their favorite fair or carnival foods. There are also book displays on the third and fifth floors “highlighting our collections and using a rotating monthly theme.”  

There is a staff room across from the third-floor service desk holding about 5,000 materials that were brought over.  

“So, we identified all our course reserves, our UCAP lending library, materials purchased in the last three years, and then every material that has been checked out at least three times in the last five years came over,” Head of Access Services Colleen Deel said.  

Students would be able to access these items by looking at the Steely Library portal that shows what is available in Landrum. If so, the student or faculty member would let the service desk attendant know and they would find and check out the item.  

The staff room will continue to grow because the library wants to buy new materials.  

If Steely does not have an item a student would like, it still has their interlibrary loan service in order to buy or loan a book from another library.  

In another room, there is a quiet browsing space where there are cubicles for students to read or study and shelves of Steely’s popular reading and wellness collections. There is also a selection of books selected by SOTA faculty who wanted books on art and design for students.   

Fargo is hoping this room will  be a quiet space for anyone to come and grab a book and study in the cubicles.  

Two classrooms on the first floor of Landrum can also be used for quiet study.  

Three study rooms are available for use on the third floor and can still be reserved through the library’s homepage. In the summer, they are first come, first served, but during the school year they can be reserved for up to two hours. 

Those rooms feature whiteboards and a mobile TVs for students to plug in their laptops and show their screen. 

A lab is provided where there is a printer and several computers people can use.  

The last room on the third floor is a space for research consultations for staff, students and faculty. Undergraduate consultations are booked through Navigate. The makerspace is open on the third floor. All 3D printers are there, along with makerspace technology. The only thing that could not be moved was the large format printer, which is around the corner in a staff-only space on the fifth floor because it did not  fit in the elevator.  

There is a Sept. 18 deadline to schedule library instruction, so Steely staff can plan for the school year. There are two library classrooms on the third and fifth floors.  

There is also a classroom on the fourth floor and an open study space on the first floor. But most of the library is on the third and fifth floors.  

There will be a puzzle nook for students on the fifth floor. On a cork board, there will be a wellness programming engagement board “where students can stop by, grab a coloring sheet.”  

Stago’s Little Library will also be brought over next to the puzzle nook. 

 Makerspace is split into two sections: a public-facing space and a space called Stego Studio Makerspace that will be open 26 hours a week for students to come and use the technology. There is an embroidery machine and a sewing machine.  

“We’re doing monthly maker challenges, different ways for students to use our technology across the way. Which used to be a faculty lounge, is going to be the behind-the-scenes Makerspace. So that’s where all our 3D printers are, our laser cutter, some of that more high-tech equipment,” Fargo said. “So that will be kind of behind closed doors. We’ll work with it as we need, but this will really be kind of that public-facing space for the Makerspace.” 

There is a plan to do one library program a week. Examples would be crocheting, embroidery, fiber arts, knitting and cross stitch. Students can find this information on Steely’s MyEngagement page or on Instagram.  

The fifth floor contains many professors’ offices, but many walls were torn down to make a more open space for group study.

This floor was envisioned as a  a chatty space, a collaborative space. A lot of furniture has wheels for students to move  around.  

The group study space is also open during Landrum’s hours from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day. 

“Since it’s not an area that can be kind of locked down, this is an open space during all those open hours,” said Deel.  

The library staff also brought as many whiteboards as they could for students to use. There are also two printers, one color and one black-and-white.  

Down the hall, there are three more group study rooms to the left, and to the right is the special collections and university archives reading room space that can be used by appointment only.  

Tour attendees said they love how the library is looking in Landrum, with Mike Ruwe from the English Department thinking it is amazing how they renovated in a short amount of time.  

“It was nice that they created that space, and you know, they took down some walls. You know, they made it as inviting as possible, I guess. So that was nice,” Ruwe said.