Tour the transformed Taubman Library Sept.16 at grand re-opening

Following an 18-month renovation that transformed the A. Alfred Taubman Health Sciences Library (THSL) from a traditional book repository into a natural light-filled medical education hub that supports in-person, collaborative, active learning, the University of Michigan Medical School and U-M Library will co-host a grand re-opening of the facility on Sept. 16.

Medical School Dean James O. Woolliscroft, M.D., and other University officials will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 16 to officially christen the new THSL. At 2 p.m., faculty, staff, students and the general public are invited to tour the building and see how the U-M has vastly improved learning facilities for its medical, graduate and health professions students. The opportunity to tour parts of the building not usually open to the public will end at 4 p.m.

Key features of the new Taubman Health Sciences Library:

• It stands on the site where U-M’s second hospital began taking patients in 1891 — one year after the Medical School adopted a then-revolutionary four-year curriculum.
• Learning spaces are spread over five levels of the building — two below street level.
• Learning technologies include a large touch-screen table for exploring human anatomy virtually, and facilities for teleconferencing and computer-based testing.
• The Clinical Skills Suite includes 30 realistic patient care rooms complete with simulated medical technology, and facilities for the trained medical actors — called “standardized patients” and actual patients who help medical students learn and test hands-on skills.
• In addition to the library, the entrance level includes a new café with coffee and light fare.
• A medical student lounge offers kitchen facilities and entertainment options.
• An all-glass exterior of nearly 18,000 square feet of low-e glass replaced the former windowless brick walls on all sides of the building, providing natural illumination.
• About 6,000 square feet were added in the renovation, including a monumental staircase.
• A wide array of “green building” features make the building eligible for Gold LEED status, a measure of environmentally conscious facility construction and operation.
• The building has indoor connections on several levels to other Medical School buildings.
• Construction teams used 1,700 tons of concrete, recycled 1,780 tons of material, and installed more than 67 miles of data cable and 2,011 data jacks.

More information: http://umhealth.me/taubmanlib
Photo gallery: http://umhealth.me/thslphotos and slideshow: http://umhealth.me/thslshow
Printable building guide: http://umhealth.me/thlbrochure
Library services information: http://www.lib.umich.edu/taubman-health-sciences-library