Innis Library opens in McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery

Lynne Serviss, associate university librarian, left, Ann Pearce, manager of Innis Library, centre, and Erica Liu, a McMaster student and library student assistant, in Innis Library.

Six and a half years ago, employees of Innis Library packed up materials and said goodbye to their home in Kenneth Taylor Hall.

Today, the business library is open again as employees welcome staff, students, and faculty into a custom-designed space on the third floor of the newly constructed McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery.

Vivian Lewis, associate vice-president and university librarian, says she is especially thrilled to see students using the space.

“McMaster students have been patient as we’ve worked to redesign the library in a new state-of-the-art building,” said Lewis. “We’re excited to once again provide a space for students enrolled in the DeGroote School of Business to access resources related to their studies.”

Kenneth Taylor Hall first opened in 1971 and with it came Innis Room, a study hall and home for reserve materials. In the early 1990s, the opening of the DeGroote School of Business included an expansion of Innis. This doubled its floor space and seating capacity. The room reopened as Innis Library, McMaster University’s business library.

The old Innis could be described as quaint and intimate. Being a compact library that served a single faculty, employees had the chance to get to know students well and build meaningful connections with them.

Ann Pearce, manager of Innis Library, says she struggled to say goodbye on her final day at the old Innis, as it was a place filled with many memories.

“I had an opportunity to go in there and be by myself in that room,” said Pearce. “I have a picture actually, of me sitting in the middle of the room with most of the furniture gone. I know I can speak for anyone who has worked at Innis, how special it is, and to finally pack up and to see it go was hard.”

After Innis closed its doors in 2020, Pearce became manager of H.G. Thode Library of Science and Engineering. For five years, she longed for the day she could return to the place she holds dear to her heart. With the wait finally over, she is ecstatic to revive her previous title of manager of Innis Library.

“To see it upgraded, to see it fresh and new, I always thought that Innis deserved that. It’s wonderful to open the doors and see the faces of students walking in and welcome them back to their own space. I’m so excited to be back.”

The new library has both collaborative and individual study spaces, including multiple group study rooms and a quiet study section. Patrons will also find PC computers, various types of seating, and materials related to business.

The new space will also serve as an important connection point for DeGroote students, says Khaled Hassanein, dean of the DeGroote School of Business.

“Having a library dedicated to business studies in the new McLean Centre provides a special opportunity for DeGroote students to come together beyond the classroom,” said Hassanein.

Learn more: For more information about Innis and operating hours, visit the Innis Library webpage.

This article was originally published by McMaster University Libraries. Read it here.