{"id":3050,"date":"2026-09-09T13:04:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T17:04:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/?p=3050"},"modified":"2026-09-09T13:04:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T17:04:04","slug":"library-news-construction-phase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/library-news-construction-phase\/","title":{"rendered":"Library News &amp; Construction Update"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The vision for the <strong>John F. Milligan Library<\/strong> is becoming reality. After an unexpected closure in 2023, the OWU community came together with extraordinary vision, collaboration, and generosity to create a new kind of academic home.<\/p>\n<p><strong>This summer, progress continued:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Preserving OWU history:<\/strong> Original stained-glass windows were carefully removed and will return as a prominent feature of the new entrance.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Building from the inside out:<\/strong> Interior work is underway to create brighter, more welcoming spaces for study, collaboration and creativity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Big changes ahead:<\/strong> Exterior work begins <strong>Sept. 8<\/strong>, bringing more visible transformation to the JAYwalk.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The approximately <strong>110,000-square-foot, $50 million project<\/strong> is fully funded through donor support, including a record-setting $20 million gift from John Milligan and Kathryn Bradford Milligan \u201983.<\/p>\n<p>When fully complete, the Milligan Library will be <strong>the first arts-infused library in U.S. higher education<\/strong>, bringing together the Library, Fine Arts, Performing Arts (Music), Smith Center for Faculty Excellence and Palmer Center for First-Generation Student Success.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Portions of the library are expected to open in late 2027.<\/strong> A glass facade, two-story atrium, and spaces designed for quiet study, group work, creativity, and connection will create an inspiring new heart for campus.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Some have asked why projects such as The 1842 could open sooner.<\/strong> The scale helps explain the difference: The 1842 involved about 8,700 square feet and $3 million. The library encompasses approximately 110,000 square feet and $50 million. Its size and specialized spaces require substantially more design, coordination, and construction time. For a major campus project, developing the vision, securing funding, and preparing detailed designs represent essential progress long before people see changes outside.<\/p>\n<p><strong>There\u2019s much to look forward to \u2014 and much to be proud of already.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/library.owu.edu\/c.php?g=1380745&amp;p=11602962\">Learn more about the summer\u2019s library projects and progress.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>OWU Sponsoring Organization\/Office:<\/strong>\u00a0OWU Libraries<br \/>\n<strong>Contacts:<\/strong>\u00a0Dee Peterson at\u00a0<a href=\"mailto:dmpeters@owu.edu\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">dmpeters@owu.edu<\/a> (Library Operations) | Brian Rellinger at <a href=\"mailto:barellin@owu.edu\">barellin@owu.edu<\/a> (Library Construction Updates)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The vision for the John F. Milligan Library is becoming reality. After an unexpected closure in 2023, the OWU community came together with extraordinary vision, collaboration, and generosity to create a new kind of academic home. This summer, progress continued: Preserving OWU history: Original stained-glass windows were carefully removed and will return as a prominent [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2100,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[87],"tags":[769,770,771,427,93,106],"class_list":["post-3050","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-campus-life-academics","tag-building","tag-construction","tag-john-f-milligan-library","tag-arts","tag-library","tag-resources"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3050","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2100"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3050"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3050\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3092,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3050\/revisions\/3092"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3050"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3050"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.owu.edu\/newsforowufamilies\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3050"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}