Clark Commons now open 24/5 on the third floor of the UGLi

Facing a frequent shortage of study spaces, students at the University of Michigan occupy every inch of the Shapiro Undergraduate Library year-round. Now, after a year of planning and renovation, the University has transformed the 37,500 square foot third floor of the UGLi into Stephen S. Clark Commons, a public study space open during the library’s operating hours.

In addition to the opening of Clark Commons, the UGLi connector  — a structure bridging the third floor of the UGLi to the second floor of Hatcher Graduate Library — has reopened after its closure during Clark Commons’ construction.

The third floor of the UGLi was previously used to store print copies of academic journals. Donna Hayward, interim university librarian and dean of libraries, told The Michigan Daily the decision to renovate the space came out of decreased demand for these print journals and increased pressure for study spaces. 

“Way back when there was a lot of need to print articles in journals, the whole floor was full of these print journals, and less and less used over time because a lot of that content is now online,” Hayward said. “Seeing a lot of the need for different kinds of spaces particularly for students and student use … there’s a lot more pressure for those kinds of spaces.”

Clark Commons was named after its donor, U-M Engineering alum Stephen S. Clark, who previously gifted the University with the Clark Library, which stores maps and atlases and is located inside the Graduate Library. In a press release, Clark said he wanted to fund a space that would serve all students at the University. 

“I spent a lot of time in the library, and my hope is to provide students with a pleasant and comfortable space for collaboration and study,” Clark said. 

According to the press release, Clark Commons offers seating to over 200 students, as well as a digital scholarship hub for research, publishing services and a dedicated exhibition space to showcase student projects. 

Rising LSA junior Elizabeth Whitmore, a student library ambassador, said that a highlight of Clark Commons is the extensive number of outlets available for charging devices, which differentiates it from the first and second floors of the UGLi.

“One thing about the first and the second floors is that it’s kind of hard to find an outlet nearby,” Whitmore said. “But on the third floor, outlets are much more accessible, which makes the area more (attractive) to students.”

According to Whitmore, a popular sentiment among students is that the higher the floor, the quieter the UGLi becomes, but this has not held true with the opening of Clark Commons. Whitmore noted that while Clark Commons is intended to be a more social space, there is still space for students who wish to study in a quieter environment.

“When I was talking to some other library staff, they were like, ‘we know the norm is the higher you go, the quieter it tends to get,’ Whitmore said. “In my opinion … the second floor is quieter than the third floor. The way that (Clark Commons) is designed, it’s much more collaborative, and the spaces are more open. I think (this will) violate that norm, but there is a reading room at the south end of Clark Commons, so if people want to study in a more quiet area, that area is available.”

Rising Engineering junior Patrick Periard has used Clark Commons for studying both individually and in groups. In an email to The Daily, Periard said while he appreciates the diversity of spaces available on the floor, the activity level has caused distractions.

“My favorite part is the diversity of different studying/collaboration spaces, whether it is having club e-board meetings, studying for a final or working on a group project, there is space available for everything,” Periard wrote. “Currently my least favorite part is the crowded atmosphere. I am happy that the space is being utilized; however, it is often difficult to concentrate with the noise and activity level.”

Clark Commons is currently open and available for 24-hour use on weekdays. However,  Hayward described the opening as a ‘soft roll-out,’ with changes to be made in the coming months in preparation for the fall 2023 semester. 

“It was a bit of a soft rollout,” Hayward said. “There are a few things that we set up that we didn’t follow through with yet because we wanted to see how the spaces were used. So there are a couple of spaces where we can put screens on walls that we held back on a little bit because we wanted to see how that space was used.”

Alan Pinon, U-M Library director of communications & marketing, told The Daily that following the opening of Clark Commons, the University hopes to fully renovate both the UGLi and the Graduate Library in the future. 

“We’ve had a goal set for a while now where we want to do a full renovation of both Hatcher and Shapiro as a complex,” Pinon said.

Summer News Editor Sneha Dhandapani can be reached at sdhanda@umich.edu.