Twenty-five years following the last expansion to the Library at Trinity College a complete renovation and expansion of the primary academic center on the campus was completed, resulting in the integration of library and information technology functions under one roof. Over a twenty-four-month implementation period, the $35 million dollar project restored the existing 117,000 square foot facility and added an additional 65,000 square feet to provide the entire community with improved access to the latest library and state of the art computing technology services. Included in the renovation were the Watkinson Rare Books collections, additional computer classrooms, expanded study carrel seating, new public reading rooms and data ports for each study seat.

The project required extensive underground utility infrastructure re-positioning and improvements that preceded construction commencing on the new wing. Also of note were the substantial building code and life safety challenges to be addressed by the engineering and construction team; the necessity for the project to be accomplished without closing the building to the public during construction; and the successful coordination with college staff in the staging and relocations of a large percentage of the college’s book collection of nearly one million volumes.