After several semesters of renovations, the BYU-Idaho Library has reopened both wings, providing students access to more study areas and bringing several academic support services together into one location.

The reopening comes as the fall semester brings increased activity to campus. According to BYU-Idaho's enrollment statistics, there is a total of 25,000 students attending the university this fall semester.

The library's east wing opened on the first day of fall semester, marking the completion of most of the renovation project. Students now have access to more study space and academic resources that were not available during construction.

Dallin West, a junior studying mechanical engineering and student lead at the library, said the reopening has made it possible for the library to accommodate significantly more students throughout the day.

“Right after devotional, when everybody comes back, we can have just hundreds of people here in the library, and everybody’s able to study,” West said.

The reopening has changed how some support services are organized. Tutoring and other resources have moved into the renovated east wing, while areas of the west wing that previously housed some of those services are now additional spaces for books, studying and other student resources.

Other resources that you can now find in the Library include Volunteer Connections and the Presentation Practice Center, providing students access to multiple academic and campus services in one location.

Justus Jorgensen, supervisor of the Math Study Center, said the center benefits from having a dedicated space within the renovated area.

“Having our own dedicated space for everything, having something that is not as noisy as it was last semester, [is] super helpful,” Jorgensen said.

The renovation has also made academic services easier to locate. Jorgensen said larger signs throughout the renovated area help students identify where services are located and what they offer.

West mentioned he frequently uses the library´s group study rooms because of the number of projects required for his major.

Students looking for a quieter environment can use individual study rooms on the third floor. They can also use open seating throughout the building and check out supplies such as whiteboard markers.

“I feel like all the resources I need for success in school are in just one building,” West said.

Although most of the renovations are complete, work continues in a small number of areas as services finish moving into their designated spaces.

“Sometimes it’s good to just be out of the apartment and work on homework in a different place,” West said.