From the dean

As I enter my fourth year at Northwestern Libraries, I’m reflecting on how much we’ve accomplished in that time while anticipating with enthusiasm the things we expect to accomplish. We are hard at work preparing for the future of librarianship, shaping it where we can through our own innovation, inspiration, and dedication.

But amid all this focused effort, we need to take a moment to celebrate milestones. This is exactly what we have done this fall with the reopening of a renewed Deering Library, which boasts significant improvements to its infrastructure.

Many of you have heard me talk about the three pillars of my vision for the Libraries, including the transformation of digital research and the improvement of access to our many resources. Deering’s reopening represents a significant advancement toward the third pillar: the enhancement of the library experience. The new space is simply much more welcoming and easier for faculty, staff, students, and visitors to use.

We have proudly debuted new spaces that serve our community, such as cozy alcoves that give visitors more options for comfortable, quiet reading. And we hope you have a chance to visit the Sandi Lynn Riggs Gallery, which provides a new third-floor exhibit space where we hope to spark discovery of our rare collections and inspire our students’ imaginations with both physical and digital materials.

We look forward to hosting more events in the Richard C. Devereaux Foundation Room, located in the former Music Listening Center. This revamped reading room gives us better capability to hold lectures and other gatherings more comfortably in our own space. I hope that the Devereaux Room will become a University community room brimming with interdisciplinary academic engagement. Meanwhile, the Eloise Martin Reading Room has been refurbished to accommodate modern needs—like more power outlets and better lighting—while preserving and replicating original light fixtures from 1933.

And you will quickly notice that the elevator is now easy to find, just to the right of the entrance lobby. No more delving into the stacks to find the tiny staff elevator! This isn’t just a nice convenience; it’s an accommodation that makes the building more functional for everyone.

Perhaps most notable is that this project was funded entirely by our donors. Their generosity and belief in our library system made these improvements possible. In this issue, you’ll read about longtime supporters Fred and Shirley Brown, recipients of the 2025 Deering Family Award; Fred describes Deering Library as “an iconic building . . . that represents everything about the academic success of Northwestern.”

I couldn’t agree more. We are excited to welcome our entire campus community and alumni back to this iconic building.