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Library Of The Future: U-M Taubman Health Services Library Re-opens

University of Michigan
/
University of Michigan

 It took two years and $55 million in renovations for the Taubman Health Sciences Library to re-open on the U of M campus.  The over 143,000 square foot library has gone digital and students can write on erasable walls and tables.  

The high tech library which serves the University's 780 medical and dental students in many different fields also includes a touch screen table for exploring human anatomy virtually.  The building  provides lecture and advising space for the Medical School’s more than 1,000 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in biomedical sciences.  The high tech library which spans five levels, also includes a medical student lounge and a new cafe with coffee and light fare.

A Library For the Future

Jane Blumenthal, Associate University Librarian said“Today’s library can be anywhere, thanks to technology, yet there is still a desire for a physical location that facilitates collaboration, study and learning.” 
A video highlighting the re-opening: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdUKf9Fi9ZE
 
A press release highlights key features of the new Taubman Health Sciences Library:
 

  • It stands on the site where U-M’s second hospital began taking patients in 1891 – one year after the Medical School adopted a then-revolutionary four-year curriculum.
  • Learning spaces are spread over five levels of the building – two below street level.
  • Learning technologies include a large touch-screen table for exploring human anatomy virtually, and facilities for teleconferencing and computer-based testing.
  • The Clinical Skills Suite includes 30 realistic patient care rooms complete with simulated medical technology, and facilities for the trained medical actors – called “standardized patients” and actual patients who help medical students learn and test hands-on skills.
  • In addition to the library, the entrance level includes a new café with coffee and light fare.
  • A medical student lounge offers kitchen facilities and entertainment options. 
  • An all-glass exterior of nearly 18,000 square feet of low-e glass replaced the former windowless brick walls on all sides of the building, providing natural illumination
  • About 6,000 square feet were added in the renovation, including a monumental staircase.
  • A wide array of “green building” features make the building eligible for Gold LEED status, a measure of environmentally conscious facility construction and operation.
  • The building has indoor connections on several levels to other Medical School buildings.
  • Construction teams used 1,700 tons of concrete, recycled 1,780 tons of material, and installed more than 67 miles of data cable and 2,011 data jacks.

Lisa Barry is the host of All Things Considered on WEMU. Contact : 734-487-2229,  lisa@wemu.org or on Twitter @LisaWEMU

Lisa Barry was a reporter, and host of All Things Considered on 89.1 WEMU.