The university community is invited to the dedication of the John M. Pfau Library 1st Floor Commons beginning at noon Wednesday, Sept. 20, with Joan K. Lippincott, associate executive director emerita of the Coalition for Networked Information, to give the keynote address.

“We are thrilled to provide a revitalized space for our students to meet, study and engage with library resources,” said Rebecca Lubas, dean of the CSUSB Libraries. “I am so grateful for the support for this project from IT, facilities and CSUSB leadership.”

The library’s first floor sustained heavy water damage from the Sept. 11, 2022, floods, remnants of Tropical Storm Kay that drenched the campus and much of the Inland Empire. The remodeled space now features ultra-modern furniture, new computers, monitors, printers and scanners.

The area was redesigned to foster greater interaction and collaboration among students, enriching their college experience and aiding in their educational success.

Wednesday’s program will include remarks by university leaders, including university President Tomás Morales, Provost Rafik Mohamed, interim Vice Provost Kelly Campbell, University Advancement Vice President Robert Nava and Lubas.

Lippincott’s keynote, which will take place in room PL-4005 on the library’s fourth floor beginning at 1 p.m., will focus on “Designing Libraries for Student Success.”

At the Coalition for Networked Information, a joint program of the Association of Research Libraries and EDUCAUSE, Lippincott provided leadership for programs in learning spaces, teaching and learning, digital scholarship, electronic theses and dissertations, and assessment. In addition to serving as a consultant to many academic libraries for their space renovation projects, she has been on the planning committee for the Designing Libraries for the 21st Century conference since its inception.