Learning Commons

Peter P. Mercer Learning Commons

Approximately 20,000 square feet of space was added to the original George T. Potter Library building, making the new Peter P. Mercer Learning Commons approximately 80,000 square feet in size. The remodeled facility has approximately 800 book shelving units with space for over 24,000 lineal feet of books and printed materials.

The Learning Commons features:

• Group Study Rooms on all floors with 19 total
• 17,000 square feet of Open Study Space on all floors with 500 seats
• 1,250 square feet dedicated to Individual Study Space on all floors with 40 seats
• Four Media Creation, Recording and Editing Rooms – Floor 1
• More than 450 electrical outlets for charging mobile devices in student areas
• More than 250 USB ports for charging mobile devices in student areas
• 75 new Wireless Access Points for Wi-Fi coverage indoors and outside
• 18 Gender Neutral Restrooms
• New 2,000 square foot Café called “Common Grounds” – Floor 3
• A new Center for Reading and Writing – Floor 4
• A new 530 square foot Maker Space – Floor 4
• A new 150 square foot space for the Gross Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies – Floor 2
• Two beautiful new Conference Rooms – Floors 1&4
• Two new high tech Information Literacy Classrooms, one seating 42 students and one seating 24 students – Floors 1&4
• A new Faculty Resource Center – Floor 2
• A new dedicated Digital Humanities space – Floor 2
• A new Instructional Design Center – Floor 2
• New 4,400 square foot Outdoor Terrace with benches, tables and chairs

Ample natural light is brought into the building on all four floors, providing welcoming study areas and stunning views. Nearly all of the landscape plantings around the building are native species, including approximately 110 native trees, 170 native shrubs, and 12,500 native ground cover plants.