Libraries are places that bring everyone together, and many of us have fond memories of visiting as young children or studying late into the evening during college.

There was a time when I (Tom Jackson Jr.) was in the sixth grade, I needed to repair my bicycle. My father, a very capable tradesman, carpenter, electrician, and mechanic could have easily helped, as he had in the past. On this particular day, he suggested I go to the local library and look at a manual. In that manual would be pictures and directions on how to fix what I needed to fix. Of course, I tried my reasoning and persuasive skills, but to no avail. I even complained about the two-mile walk to the library. As he said, “Standing here talking to me isn’t getting your bike fixed any quicker.” Those were very wise and very annoying words. But regardless of my assessment of the words, I was off to the library.

I had been to this library before but never to actually look for a fix-it manual or book. I found what I was looking for with the help of the librarian and promptly returned home and repaired that bicycle.

Some might think of libraries as hushed places with strict rules about talking. There was a time that was what libraries were like. Most didn’t permit food or drinks either. Not today. Libraries are often seen as constant, but in fact they are full of surprises and have transformed significantly over the past 20 years.

Google and Wikipedia and others have dramatically changed how research is done. Libraries have changed too, usually willingly, in how they engage their communities. As one example, the transformations at the HSU Library parallel what we are seeing in higher education across the nation. With increasing competition and alternative resources, big changes are underway in how we engage and make education more accessible and inclusive.

In the case of the HSU Library, change was about positioning students and learning at the center. About five or six years ago, most studying at the library moved from individual to group. The library added extensive group seating and gathering places, and became host to many campus and community events. By 2018-19, it was holding over 2,000 events and leading nearly 1,000 presentations. One of the favorites is ideaFest, an annual celebration of research and creative works at HSU, where you can watch student theater and dance performances, listen to student music performances, and view hundreds of research displays.

When COVID and construction limited some library services, the HSU Library pivoted to engaging online educational events. This has included online SkillShops attended by nearly 3,000 people last year as well as Lifelong Learning Lounge workshops that served more than 1,000 participants. Meanwhile, our check-out services continue. Since March 2020, students have borrowed more than 3,000 laptops and nearly 600 hotspots. We filled more than 700 requests for articles from our collection, and borrowed 1,600 physical items and 2,500 articles from other libraries. In addition, we’ve shipped about 600 boxes with equipment for hands-on learning including binoculars, soil samples, and fish.

If you graduated from Humboldt State more than a decade ago, you probably wouldn’t recognize the interior of the HSU Library. It has become a busy hub of engagement and innovation with a cafe, the Center for Teaching & Learning, Digital Media Lab, Humboldt Scholars Lab, Library Makerspace, Brain Booth, HSU Authors Hall, HSU Press, a new Special Collections and Learning Commons, and more.

The Library Brain Booth is an experiential space to learn about the mind-body connection. It includes a biofeedback machine, a massage chair for teaching mindfulness, and more. The Library Makerspace and Digital Media Lab include 3D printers, virtual reality stations and headsets, and other equipment available to design, experiment, iterate, and plan projects. And HSU students built some of the exciting changes at HSU Library, including the flight simulator and the augmented reality sandbox.

The HSU Library started HSU Press in 2015, and since then the relationship has grown to provide publishing service to many authors. Connecting authors and readers is a library principle, and thanks to the dedicated librarians, staff, and student employees, the HSU Library quickly became a model for others. An ambitious goal is to provide every student the opportunity to publish before they graduate.

While changing, we have also maintained our strengths. When the library building reopens after its retrofit in the spring semester, you will see half a million books, familiar reading and studying areas, reference services, and so much more.

In just a short time, the HSU library has been significantly transformed to be an invaluable learning environment on campus. It is one of the most innovative university libraries in California, and we look forward to how it will continue evolving as HSU pursues its polytechnic vision. While libraries have learned much from their experiences over the last two decades, higher education faces new challenges that call for continuing innovation.

The future is shaped by connecting people and ideas, and that will play out as our polytechnic campus helps connect our North Coast communities and beyond. We will learn together. We are interested in hearing your ideas about how you envision learning together and, when we are able to re-open to the public next spring, we invite you to visit and rediscover the HSU Library.

Dr. Tom Jackson, Jr. is the President of Humboldt State University. Cyril Oberlander is Dean of the HSU Library and Interim Dean of the College of Extended Education & Global Engagement