With Southern Miss reopening this fall welcoming students back, Cook Library does the same, stirring up some new renovations for all to enjoy. 

The latest addition is a new collaboration zone for students to work in on the first floor, which replaced the old art gallery. The Bower Academic Center for student athletes is still under construction, but it and an advisement center for all students are in the final stages of development. 

Cook Library staff member and Assistant to the Dean of University Libraries for Publicity and Outreach, Dawn Smith, is excited to see how this building can better serve others. 

“We hope that this renovation will carry us another 20-30 years into the future[,] and we hope as we go that we can do more things to the things in the building that haven’t been able to do with this renovation[,] so we’re very excited and we think it’ll be a great thing for a while,” said Smith.

With Cook Library having a good start reopening this fall, some students shared how they are liking the new changes.

“Everything is more updated and that’s really nice, especially the treadmills, you can get exercise in while doing work since everything is online,” said Julianne Vaughn, a sophomore criminal justice major from Tupelo, MS.

“The area I was [in] a nice spot right by the window. I like having the scenic area, and it’s a nice little study desk area so I can have all of my stuff laid out nice and organized,” said Todd Coulter, a freshman nursing major from Ocean Springs, MS.
Cook Library’s current fall hours can be found online at https://lib.usm.edu/.  Students visiting Cook Library should also make sure to follow COVID-19 guidelines listed at the front of the library  to promote social distancing, and remember to keep quiet and study hard.