Contributed Photo/Courtesy EAC
By Kris McBride
THATCHER — As part of its initiative to continually improve upon student success, the Graham County Community College District Governing Board awarded a $1.325 million contract to TSG Constructors, LLC, to renovate the Eastern Arizona College Alumni Library.
“Even in this digital age, EAC’s Alumni Library has been at the heart of our educational institution, but the way students use it has changed,” said Todd Haynie, EAC president. “This renovation will create a 21st-century learning environment with resources that better serve our students, faculty, and the community.”
The renovation is set to begin in February and will combine the library and EAC’s Student Learning Center, which is currently located in a different building. It will transform the space into a dynamic hub for multi-media, group collaboration, social interaction, advanced technology resources, tutoring, and individual study. The reimagined space will offer 27 individual and group study rooms, a lounge, quiet zone with individual carrels, a reading nook, four quick-print stations, and a repurposed upper level for additional learning and tutoring space.
“The world is changing and the way we access information continues to evolve,” said Kristen Becker, EAC director of library services. “Books still matter, but modern pedagogy requires libraries to evolve from collection-based to multi-media environments that appeal to students.”
Library construction is expected to be completed during the summer of 2020. To accommodate construction, library services, such as access to books, periodicals, newspapers, and reference services, have been temporarily relocated to EAC’s Academic Programs building, room 113. The EAC Alumni Library hours will be Monday – Thursday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Media Center will remain in its current location throughout construction, providing access to computers and course reserve materials.
For more information about the EAC Alumni Library, contact Kristen Becker at kristen.becker@eac.edu or (928) 428-8308.
