The Fireside Reading Room on the first floor of Peabody Library recently has reopened after undergoing an extensive renovation. The reimagined space features new furniture and flexible seating arrangements, including several smaller private rooms, to accommodate the various study and meeting space needs of library visitors.
Tiffeni Fontno, director of Peabody Library, and Scott Martin, director of logistics and access services, incorporated feedback from Peabody College faculty, staff and students about ideas for improvements to the space. Input also was gathered from first-year representatives in Vanderbilt Student Government since many of the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons residents on Peabody’s campus use the Fireside Reading Room as well.
“In discussions with different stakeholders, we quickly determined that having flexible seating was a key need. Not everyone uses the Fireside Reading Room for the same purpose, so we’ve been very intentional in giving library visitors as many options and configurations as possible,” Fontno said. “I’m excited to welcome members of the Vanderbilt community to the new space and encourage everyone across the libraries to pay us a visit.”