Redesigned rooms include spaces themed to the Arboretum and the Eggheads, with more decor to come
By RACHEL TRAN — campus@theaggie.org
Next time you book a study room in Shields Library, you might notice some new campus-themed decorations. Inspired by different UC Davis landmarks, mascots and traditions, eight of the library’s reservable group study rooms are being redecorated. Three — the Arboretum Room (204), the Egghead Room (202) and the Bicycle Room (320) — have recently reopened for student use.
Shields Library Director of Communications Jessica Nusbaum said that the remodeled rooms are an effort to make study spaces more attractive to students.
“The inspiration for the project as a whole was part of looking for ways to make the library more welcoming for students,” Nusbaum said. “We chose the specific themes to represent a wide variety of aspects of the campus that would be visible and relatable to the broadest spectrum of people.”
The remaining five group study rooms are set to be renovated throughout the rest of winter quarter; all eight of them will be done by the end of March. Each room will have its own unique theme, including the history of Shields Library, Unitrans, animals and the University Farm, Aggie Traditions and Athletics and water towers.
Previously, the study rooms’ blank white walls were adorned with only a white board and a TV for screen projection. Now, each room will have unique, curated decorations, including real-life traffic lights for the Unitrans and Bike-themed rooms and donated uniform shirts from UC Davis varsity sports teams. Each room also features a fun fact related to its theme, and a QR code for those interested in learning more.
Shields Library Night and Weekend Assistant Bianca Iosif, who leads the project’s creative vision and is responsible for all the decoration in the study rooms, hopes students will get some newfound enjoyment from using the spaces.
“I am very excited to see the visions I had for the rooms come to life for everyone to enjoy,” Iosif said. “My goal […] is not only to make the study rooms more engaging visually, but also to make them educational. My hope is that what students discover through these ‘mini historical exhibits’ will enrich their experience of this beautiful campus.”
Many of the new decorations are reused or upcycled pieces that uphold the library’s 2021 LEED Gold Certified Building designation for sustainability. One example are the photo frames in the Arboretum Room, which are made from branches that have fallen off trees in the Arboretum and from wood taken from the library’s old shelving. Another is the radiator grill and other parts taken from actual commuter buses for the Unitrans room, which will also display physical signs that were previously placed around campus.
“We’re really proud of all the work we have done together with the campus, even though it’s an older historic building,” Nusbaum said. “When doing this project to make the group study rooms more fun and more engaging, we wanted to do that in a way that would have the lightest possible footprint from a sustainability and environmental impact standpoint.”
Iosif emphasized that many of the decorations came from on-campus organizations, including the Department of Animal Sciences, the Bike Barn, UC Davis Athletics, UC Davis Student Success and Equity Innovation and the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. There were also several contributors outside of UC Davis, including the Davis Bike Collective, Ken’s Bike-Ski-Board and Sierra Hills Framing.
The cost of refurbishing all eight study rooms came out to under $7,500, and was covered by contributions to the Library Annual Fund. The fund allows small-dollar donations and flexible support for updates to library facilities and spaces.
Students can reserve group study rooms for up to 2 hours at a time on the library’s website. The library noted that availability will be limited as the remaining rooms undergo renovations, though some rooms may be available on a drop-in basis.
Written by: Rachel Tran — campus@theaggie.org
