Since the start of the academic year, the university’s Blackmore Library received a furniture upgrade on the second floor on Aug. 25, 2025, after spending 13 years with old and outdated student facilities.
Computers from the 2010s used to fill the main area; now, all of them have been replaced with half-circle couches, individual lounge chairs, new wooden tables and soft foot rests. Other upgrades include study booths, charging stations and more.
Replacing the old furniture was also part of the upgrade. The university has always aimed to try and repurpose used furniture by implementing them in other buildings instead of simply throwing them out.
“[Repurposing] is priority for me,” said Matthew Cook, the Head Librarian of Blackmore. “It’s important to do so responsibly when we’re getting rid of stuff.”
Rachel Mace, the director of Academic Success, said the four round study tables in the tutoring center used to belong to the university’s Main Dining Room (MDR), also known as Capital Court.
While looking at renovation plans, Cook had the bright idea of moving some of the newer tables to the tutoring center to replace the MDR tables.
“The old MDR tables we had were kind of wonky,” said Mace. “The lights weren’t necessarily even, the chairs were definitely not as comfortable [anymore]. So we got rid of those four tables and all the chairs with them.”
The new furniture brought in a fresh, new look to the second floor that appealed to the student population that thrived off needing a comfortable and trendy place to study. Decorative banners with the Capital logo lay on the back rests of the couches to show off the university’s school pride.
Student reception on the furniture has been succeedingly well. More students have shown up to study than ever before, and they have made good use of the “power stations.”
“We’ve seen so many students come up here,” said Mace. “Immediately, students [fill] the booths.”
Upgrades do not seem to just stop at booths or couches, however. Cook hopes for more interior changes to happen in other parts of Blackmore as well.
“There’s more I want to talk to Student Government about,” said Cook. Student Government is a student-led organization at the university that helped Cook and his team organize the new innovations, from planning, funding and budgeting. “We have the books, we have the spaces, we have the individual study carrels throughout the library. But there’s other stuff we could do.”
Cook wants to create spaces for student presentations or big projects because academia is “not just about writing papers anymore.” Students need more spaces where they need technology (like TVs) to do presentations.
“We have technology in places like the CMC (Convergent Media Center), but a lot of the stuff, to my knowledge, is on lockdown, right?” said Cook. “You have to get permission to be in there. What if we find a [free] space in the library?”
To celebrate the arrival of the new furniture, Blackmore hosted a grand-opening, where students and faculty alike could eat snacks and check out the new furniture if they have not already.
Dozens of people visited, including President Tice and his wife, Erica, who were both excited to see the brand new look of the second floor.
Archer, the university’s facility dog, even made a surprise appearance and proudly made himself comfortable on top of one of the circular couches like he belonged there.
These changes in Blackmore are here to stay for years to come. Students can check out the new furniture themselves by visiting the 2nd floor.
There is still a possibility for change as the school year goes on.
