Fondren strives to create dynamic spaces that foster learning, collaboration, and knowledge creation.
A Library to Support Campus Aspirations: Imagining a Future Fondy
The original Fondren Library was built in 1948, with a stack addition completed in 1969. Despite renovations in 1987 and 2004, the building is showing its age. The 75-year-old facility presents a number of structural problems, including asbestos, narrow and inaccessible collection and study areas, inadequate bathrooms, and a lack of essential safety features such as fire suppression and public address systems.
Maintenance requests peaked in 2024 due to HVAC challenges and repeated problems with water intrusion. Fondren experienced heavy damage [link to photos] following Hurricane Beryl, with water pooling around collection areas in the Woodson Research Center Annex, the Kelley Center for Government Information, and 3rd and 4th floor stack areas. Teaching, study, and event spaces including the GIS classroom, study rooms, and the Kyle Morrow Room were also affected. Most spaces were quickly restored to operational status. Others remain unavailable, exacerbating space pressures throughout the building, which is also home to multiple campus centers.
Despite these challenges, Fondren remains a vital campus resource. Students regularly laud their “Fondy” experience and the building continues to see robust use. More than 500,000 entrances are logged in a typical calendar year, and there is sustained, heavy use of study and meeting spaces (link to statistics). A typical day might see Fondren staff teaching a short course on ethical generative AI use, co-sponsoring a workshop on academic publishing, or hosting an open printing studio where attendees gain hands-on experience with a movable type printing press. Rice’s growing student and faculty populations need environments that support their scholarly communities, especially Rice’s graduate student population.
As Rice embarks on its new strategic plan, Fondren is excited to imagine possibilities for a future library facility that supports Rice’s ambitions, including dynamic learning spaces, high-quality research and academic workspaces, and flexible gathering spaces to enhance Rice’s commitment to community-building and engagement. Campus stakeholders regularly voice a desire for such spaces, especially as students see these possibilities when visiting libraries at Rice peer institutions. Fondren continues to invest in near-term projects that support this vision while engaging campus leadership on longer-term renovation plans.
Digital Media Commons Soundproofing Project
With the Library administration’s support and funding from Friends of Fondren, DMC’s studio soundproofing project was kicked off in February 2024. Once the project is finished, both the DMC Audio Studio and the DMC Video/Photography Studio will be professionally soundproofed. It will boost the confidence of patrons who use the studios, increasing the audio recording quality significantly. In addition, it will allow for both studios and the DMC MPR to be used simultaneously, increasing the utility and flexibility of DMC spaces.