Visitors to the Ohio Historical Society’s Archives/Library will being seeing changes over the next couple of months! The Research Room is undergoing a $25,000 renovation that will reconfigure the space to allow for more access to collections; update electrical and data wiring; and allow us to operate the space with fewer staff at any one time. It’s been 15 years since the room was last updated. Other highlights of the plan include: 1) Relocation of the Reference Desk to a more central location, to help with visibility and reduced staffing, and provide a more welcoming entrance for visitors. 2) New wiring and ports for additional workstations and equipment at the Reference Desk. 3) Addition of two audiovisual carrels for viewing AV materials (and eventually electronic records). 4) Addition of a large map table for viewing oversized materials. 5) Extension of the corral space, almost doubling the amount of space for viewing fragile materials. 6) Enlarged Reference Desk that allows for more workstations and better visibility around the room. Construction started last week and will continue through June. We are hoping to have as little disruption to visitors as possible and have scheduled all construction work during days we are not open to the public. Last week, electrical and wiring work started: The railing of the corral, where researchers view fragile materials, was moved to the other side of the room. This will allow us to nearly double the size of the space: Yesterday, the Reference Desk moved from the north end of the room to the center: Check back for updates on future changes and join us on July 6th for the opening of the new Research Room!