Lilly Library is under renovation, a process that began in May and is slated for completion in 2026.
The estimated $64 million overhaul — dubbed “The Lilly Project” — is causing an 18- to 24-month closure of Lilly Library, with staff and library services relocating to the Bishop’s House located behind Bassett dorm. Although certain resources were temporarily unavailable during the summer relocation process, the Bishop’s House opened Aug. 1 and began offering essential library services.
Here’s what you should know about accessing library resources on East Campus this year.
Library resources
During the renovation, students can meet with Lilly librarians and staff in the Bishop’s House.
As the temporary home for many of Lilly’s services, the Bishop’s House also enables students to print and scan, return books, pick up holds and reserve materials for classes.
Until Aug. 26 — the first day of classes for the fall semester — Lilly at Bishop’s House will be open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Starting Aug. 26, the schedule will shift to 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m Friday.
For visitors, the building has two 30-minute parking spaces available for use free of charge.
According to a Feb. 28 post on The Lilly Project’s website, “as much of Lilly’s collection as possible” will remain accessible during the renovation. Students are encouraged to find the locations of items of interest in the online catalog and to take advantage of the “90 million books and other materials” available from peer institutions through the Interlibrary Requests program.
The Lilly Library 3D printers — managed by the Innovation Co-Lab — will be relocated to Wilson dorm during the renovation. The Value Transfer Station, which enables students to load money into their DukeCard Flex account, will be relocated to the East Campus Union.
The Duke Music Library, located beside Baldwin Auditorium, will remain open and continue to offer “broader library services."
The relocation
After Lilly’s closure on May 5, library staff began the process of relocating library resources to the historic Bishop’s House.
Once the residence of former Trinity College President John Kilgo from 1911 to 1915, the Bishop’s House has also served as a dormitory, an infirmary, the Duke University Press headquarters and most recently the administrative office space for Duke Continuing Studies until the COVID-19 pandemic.
Various features of the Bishop’s House, including its fireplaces and wrap-around porch, have remained since the building’s construction in 1911.
The move to the Bishop’s House entailed efforts to carefully relocate tens of thousands of books, as well as films, journals and other collection materials. The process began with moving Lilly’s artwork to university storage facilities during spring break. The collection is currently divided among offsite storage facilities and the Perkins and Bostock libraries, where materials will remain for the duration of the renovation.
The renovation
Lilly was originally built in 1927 as Duke’s first library. However, the facility has not seen expansion or substantial renovation since it was first constructed.
The Lilly renovation was initially announced in 2018 and set to begin in 2020, but plans were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Two separate $10 million grants from the Duke Endowment in 2021 and 2023 helped fund and relaunch the renovation.
The upgrades to Lilly seek to “dramatically increase the building’s footprint,” expanding its square footage by 75% and adding increased seating, study spaces and “technology-equipped project rooms.”
The expansion will include a new staffed writing studio, a testing center and a 75-seat assembly room. Improvements will be made to “behind the scenes” staff areas, Lilly’s reading rooms and the overall accessibility of the building.
The renovation will also address “urgent facility needs,” including upgrades to the building’s infrastructure, heating and cooling systems, environmental controls and waterproofing.
Additionally, a “cafe-like commons filled with natural light” will be added to the west side of the building, which seeks to connect Lilly with the “bustling residential ‘backyard’ of East Campus.”
The extensive expansion is resulting in the closure — and eventual removal — of six East Campus tennis courts. The six courts, which are currently located behind Lilly, will be replaced with “a landscaped quad, featuring grass and trees.” The University plans to build six new tennis courts and six new pickleball courts in a different East Campus location by 2025.
The University publishes renovation-related updates and announcements on the Lilly Project website.
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Michael Austin is a Trinity junior and managing editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.