From vault to venue: Waldo’s new event space opens

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—In May 2025, the University Libraries opened a new event space on Waldo Library’s third floor in the former Special Collections Reading Room and vault. Multipurpose Room 3016 offers versatile seating and tables, a sound and projector system and great views overlooking the Board of Trustees Plaza. The new space solved a need for a large event space in the library for both library and campus programming, gatherings and meetings.

Before Room 3016 opened, the library team and other Western departments reserved Waldo Library’s open public spaces for events, which required additional setup and displaced users from their usual workspaces. The new event space offers more amenities for event organizers and fewer distractions for students studying.

The renovations also helped give the space a new purpose after Special Collections moved to the Zhang Legacy Collections Center.

Concerns about preservation of delicate materials due to aging heating and cooling systems prompted the move to Zhang, according to Julie Garrison, Dean of University Libraries.

“We were concerned about preservation of our Special Collections materials and finally made the decision to move everything to the storage facility at Zhang, where environmental conditions were more stable,” says Garrison.

The space was used for library programming, but the Reading Room was too small and lacked the amenities needed to host some events. The transformation from Special Collections storage to a modern multipurpose space demonstrates the Libraries’ commitment to meeting evolving campus needs.

Since the room opened, it has been used for many events, including student programming, campus meetings, retreats, classes and listening sessions with new WMU President Russ Kavalhuna.

With its thoughtful design and engaging features, Multipurpose Room 3016 will continue to serve as a hub for collaboration, learning and community engagement for years to come.