In the past 25 years, the John U. Tomlinson Library has essentially stayed the same, but recently there have been plans for an upgrade in the works.

School officials are just beginning to meet with contractors for renovations to the campus library.  They are trying to determine what needs to be done and what needs to be fixed. The plans are currently in development, and those in charge of the project are still seeking suggestions.

“We really need new study rooms and new computer labs,” CMU sophomore and Tomlinson Library employee Samantha Wittig said.  “Those are the places that always fill up first, especially during finals week.”

As of now, there is no definitive date that the renovations are set to begin or be completed. The initial factors of the project are still being figured out.

“There isn’t much information, just that they are still looking for funds,” Director of Media Relations Dana Nunn said.

Since CMU’s founding as Grand Junction Junior College in 1925, the library has struggled to keep up with the school’s rapid growth. It began as a collection of less than 2,000 volumes locked in the dean’s office with no librarian.

In 1940, it became the Murr Memorial Library and relocated to the second floor of what is now Houston Hall.  The volumes increased to over 20,000 by 1965, and again the library relocated to a new building called the Lowell Heiny Library.

Over the next 20 years, the college grew into a baccalaureate degree-granting school, and the library volumes grew considerably to overcrowd the Heiny Library with over 126,000 volumes.

Construction on the Tomlinson Library was first completed in 1986. Since then, the CMU student population has increased significantly, and library volumes have increased to over 300,000. Other than throwing in a few computers, the Tomlinson library hasn’t advanced much at all.

“It’s definitely time to renovate,” Wittig said.  “The library has been around for a long time, and it could really use a change.”

akmaddox@mavs.coloradomesa.edu