The Hofstra University Axinn Library’s ninth floor has officially reopened after closing for renovations last school year.

The improvements follow the grand reopening of the 10th floor of the Axinn Library, which began campus-wide renovations at Hofstra under its strategic plan, known as Hofstra 100. 

According to the plan’s Student Success subsection, the University will “continue to invet in physical spaces, on and off campus, to create inclusive environments for student learning and engagement,” beginning with the Sondra and David S. Mack Student Center and Axinn Library.

The ninth floor housed faculty offices before the renovation, according to the library’s Vice Dean, Sarah McClesky. 

“Those offices have moved down to the second and ground floors, making the ninth floor much more student-centered,” McClesky said.

The renovated ninth floor introduces 18 new reservable study rooms for students to use and rent out with different styles of seating. McClesky noted that student demand played a major role in the planning. 

“We knew we needed more study rooms since the existing ones were always booked, often with waiting lists,” McClesky said.

Marista Paul, a freshman health science major, says the new space has made a difference in her first year at Hofstra.

“I was very impressed with coming here. I like the view, it’s very pretty, and I like the couches. It’s a lot quieter and I don’t get distracted. All the rooms I can book are really convenient,” Paul said.

Some of the rooms are single-use study “Zoom Rooms,” perfect for solo studying, meetings, Zoom classes and test taking, enabling students to use the room in a variety of productive ways. 

“We really lacked spaces like that before, so this adds a lot of value,” McClesky said.

The redesign also incorporates multiple group study rooms containing whiteboards, as well as smartboards, making it accessible for students to utilize the space to work on projects and presentations together.

Major Martinez, a junior public relations major, said the functional design of the renovations stood out to her. 

“The floor is extremely well built. I love that even if you aren’t in a private room, the tables are set up with a border. Not only is the view great, so is the environment,” Martinez said.

Additionally, a new recording studio room now resides on the ninth floor, giving students an area to create videos, podcasts and other media for their classes and individual projects. 

“We view the 10th as the study floor and the ninth as the studio floor,” McClesky said. “The ninth floor has more interactive, creative workspaces … we’re excited to see how students use it.”

Martinez has already started using the new study rooms for tutoring, taking notes and group studying.

“It’s easy to talk out loud without disturbing others while also having a studious environment,” Martinez said. “The whiteboard walls are the icing on the cake.”

To reserve these study rooms, students can go online to LibCal, where there will be a description of each study room, the capacity it holds and the dates and times available to book a room. 

The space also includes group seating with tables and couches for students to sit together and work in a communal space. Plenty of outlets are built into the seating for students to charge their electronic devices.

McClesky hopes the renovated floor will continue to draw students. 

“We want everyone to know they’re welcome in the library and that they can reserve rooms in advance through the website,” McClesky said. “We hope students will take advantage of that.”