The $12.4 million project to renovate the iconic Lilly Library is coming to a close in 2021. As major construction winds down, all kinds of other activities ramp up. The remainder of the spring semester will see the re-installation of library shelving, delivery and installation of new furniture and exhibition cases, as well as the installation of the exciting new murals in our Reading Room.

Coming months will also see Lilly Library staff devoting their time to moving into the finished building. Moving the library’s precious books and manuscripts is the biggest task ahead. Librarians and outside contractors are furiously planning the process that will take collections now housed in several secure campus locations back home to the Lilly Library.

The months-long process of moving collections will also disrupt our services—even more than the global pandemic already has. Lilly Library reference and digitization services will be suspended from March 1 through at least August 15, 2021. This pause will give staff time to catch up on all the questions and requests already in progress before the moving of collections disrupts access.

We look forward to helping with your research and teaching needs when we reopen.