Reviving a Campus Icon
In Olin Library, the illuminated number board above the circulation desk was familiar sight. The board had been in place since the library opened in 1961 and was originally used to alert patrons that their requested library books were ready for pickup. This system ended in the 1990s but the purposeless call board remained, abandoned in place.
In 2023, a major renovation project of Olin Library’s first floor began. The entire circulation desk area was slated for demolition in order to pave the way for a newer, more modern open floor plan. After nearly 62 years, the call board would be removed from its spot above the circulation desk. But what would happen to the call board?
Enter Cornell’s Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) program. Under the direction and supervision of Professor Joseph Skovira, and with input from Olin Library administration and facilities, ECE students worked to envision a new life for the call board as a programmable digital clock.
Through the combined efforts of Professor Skovira, ECE students, library staff, and the construction crew, the nearly 20 foot light board was removed from its original location, updated, and placed in its new home above a new central staircase on Olin’s renovated first floor.
