New and returning students at Calumet College of St. Joseph will find new and better places to meet and study in the newly refurbished campus library.

The college, in Whiting, Ind., is sponsored by the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.

The library project, which began over the Christmas break, was funded by a grant from the Lilly Endowment.

Dr. Amy McCormack, CCSJ president, said, “This entire space used to be books and stacks. . . . We wanted a place that offered a variety of study spaces for students. We were trying to bring together tutoring . . . library services, study areas, disability support services to make this a space where we can have cross-functional areas.”

New semi-private rooms, which are on the library’s first floor and made of glass, allow students to study alone, or work together in groups, as well as attend class via Zoom, McCormack said, noting the college currently has a mixture of Zoom, hybrid and in-person classes. Other changes include moveable whiteboards, new soft furniture, casual and bar seating and honeycomb computer workstations.

Missionaries of the Precious Blood