Just over 15 months after a fire closed Kansas State University’s Hale Library, students will be able to use a portion of the library again.

K-State Libraries has announced that most of Hale Library’s first floor, which will be devoted to study space, will be reopened on Wednesday, Aug. 28. The first floor features the new the Dave & Ellie Everitt Learning Commons, providing access to hundreds of seats and 14 reservable collaboration rooms. Multiple printers and a scanner will also be available.

The reopening of the first floor is just the first step in the Hale Library multiphase restoration and renovation project following the May 2018 fire that closed the building. Most of the second floor is scheduled to open at the beginning of the spring 2020 semester, and the entire renovation is slated for completion by the end of 2020.

“The renovation allowed us to make some strategic decisions about how Hale Library functions,” said Lori Goetsch, dean of Libraries. “One of the improvements that will be obvious right away is that we reconfigured the entrances. Now we’ll be able to open just the first floor and close off stairways to the rest of the building, which will make monitoring 24-hour access more manageable and affordable.”

Initially, the building hours will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday; 1-5 p.m. Saturday; and 1-10 p.m. Sunday.