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C&RL News July/August 2011  398

Most academic libraries care about stu-dent satisfaction and consult a student 
advisory group to help achieve it. Here at 
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), student 
satisfaction has increased from 66 percent in 
1997 to 92 percent in 2009. The thesis of this 
article is that student creativity can be tapped 
to increase satisfaction most effectively. We 

focus on three recent CMU library projects: 
an innovative lighting installation that has 
changed the whole look and feel of campus, 
custom designed and built fin seating, and 
study tables transformed into whiteboards. 
While some of these ideas might be difficult 
to replicate, the basic takeaway—allowing 
students to drive and design change—can 
be implemented on many other campuses.

Backstory: Carnegie Mellon’s Hunt 
Library
Pittsburgh’s Hunt family, founders of the 
Alcoa Corporation, has a long history of 

philanthropy to CMU. It began about 50 
years ago, when Roy A. Hunt and his wife 
offered to build what would be the first 
central library on campus. Flanked by the 
classical yellow brick buildings of the origi-
nal campus plan, the postmodern five-story 
Hunt Library has been a distinctive campus 
focal point since 1960.

The Hunts’ original 
deed of gift stipulated 
that nothing would 
be built between the 
library and the neigh-
borhood thorough-
fare, Forbes Avenue, 
for 50 years (1960–
2010). Not surpris-
ingly, the Roy A. Hunt 
Foundation of Pitts-
burgh has retained 
an abiding interest in 
Hunt Library and the 
university as a whole.

Relighting Hunt
In 2009, a Hunt grandson noted in an e-
mail to CMU President Jared Cohon that 
Hunt Library would be more of a visual 
asset to the campus if it were better illu-
minated at night. Cohon forwarded that re-
mark to a lighting professor in the schools 

Kristin Heath and Gloriana St. Clair

Increasing student satisfaction
Student innovation at Carnegie Mellon University

Kristin Heath is music librarian and cataloger, and is 
the library liaison with the Student Advisory Council 
and Help Hunt group, e-mail: kheath@andrew.cmu.
edu, and Gloriana St. Clair is the dean of university 
libraries at Carnegie Mellon University, e-mail: gstclair@
andrew.cmu.edu
© 2011 Kristin Heath and Gloriana St. Clair

Hunt Library by day. View this article online for color images.



July/August 2011  399 C&RL News

of drama and architecture, who engaged 
a group of three students to do a lighting 
study and propose a whole-building sus-
tainable LED lighting system. The study 
revealed that savings from retrofitting the 
library’s interior lighting would pay for 
operating dramatic exterior lighting of the 
library façade and entrance canopy. The 
plan included replacing traditional lantern-
style sidewalk lamps around the library 
with energy efficient, dark sky-compliant 
LED site fixtures.

After reviewing the students’ presenta-
tion, the Hunt Foundation provided the 
funds to design and install programmable 
exterior LED lighting to honor Hunt Li-
brary’s 50th anniversary. The façade 
lighting was launched in November 2010, 
when the univer-
sity celebrated the 
library’s golden an-
niversary with the 
Hunt Foundation, 
family, and friends. 
C o h o n  t o o k  t h e 
opportunity with 
all parties present 
to announce that 
the historic “view 
corridor” from the 
library to Forbes 
Avenue had been 
codified as part 
of the university’s 
master plan. 

Student input
Naturally, the library’s dramatic façade 
lighting has attracted a great deal of atten-
tion from students. A few voiced concerns 
to the dean of students: Who’s paying 
for it? How is this green? But most just 
wanted a say in how the lights would be 
programmed. So the dean of students asked 
the library to solicit comments and survey 
students about what events or holidays 
should be recognized with special light-
ing. At a university diversity retreat, it was 
further suggested that we post text on the 

library homepage explaining the signifi-
cance of the lighting displays for featured 
events and holidays.1

In deference to one of CMU’s diversity 
guidelines (“Avoid focusing celebrations 
on religious beliefs. Even if you expand 
your event to include more than one major 
religion, you’re likely to forget or offend 
someone.”), our invitation to comment 
asked students to suggest secular holidays. 

Students responded, “You don’t have 
to be so sensitive. It’s all good!” and “If 
people notice different colored lights, they 
might wonder why and learn something 
new about a fellow community member’s 
beliefs. I think it would showcase CMU’s 
diversity, and just be pretty cool.”

We advertised a two-week comment 

period, during which we took anonymous 
comments online and conducted random in-
person interviews with students in the library. 
More than 200 students responded, suggesting 
96 different events or holidays to observe. 
Twenty-two occasions were nominated four 
or more times. The libraries’ Student Advi-
sory Council (SAC) discussed the results, and 
prioritized 17 occasions to be celebrated on 
a holiday schedule or as they occur during 
the year.1 

Some of the events share color schemes 
(U.S. holidays, Lunar New Year, and Valen-

Hunt Library transformed by night. For a video of the Hunt Library Light Show 
visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO2ul3JBoTg.



C&RL News July/August 2011  400

tine’s Day), helping to achieve maximum 
satisfaction within the parameters of a lim-
ited number of available lighting presets, 
including a default “every night look.”2

Students also voiced concerns about the 
lighting being “green.” Engineers on the 
project replied in terms of an overall increase 
in dark sky compliance and the energy sav-
ings of LED fixtures, concluding that exterior 
lighting costs about as much to operate as 
a coffeemaker. However, to complete the 
sustainable whole-building lighting system 
that students initially proposed, the library’s 
interior lighting must be retrofitted. This larger 
project has yet to be funded.

Backstory: SAC and “Help Hunt”
A couple of years ago, the dean of librar-
ies was surprised by an over-the-transom 
proposal from three engineering majors 
who liked to study together in Hunt Library. 
Charged to “do something for good” as a 
group project for class, they had brain-
stormed and talked with fellow undergrads 
about the library. Then they wrote “Help 
Hunt,” a proposal that outlined a number 
of creative low-cost ways the library might 
be made better and more appealing for 
students. The dean invited the students in 
to talk about their ideas with the newly 
formed SAC, and SAC decided to move 
forward on several of the projects. The 
dean was able to provide $50,000 from a 
discretionary fund to pay for the projects, 
which were implemented over two years. 
Several Help Hunt ideas remain on the 
drawing board, pending funding from 
interested donors.

Fin seating at Hunt
Hunt Library’s aluminum and glass con-
struction is supported by structural col-
umns—fins—spaced four feet apart. One 
of Help Hunt’s ideas was that it would 
be great to have seats installed between 
the fins in some windows overlooking a 
quiet garden area. Subsequently, the Help 
Hunt engineers recruited three of their 
friends from the school of architecture 

(the Archies) to give legs to the proposal. 
The Archies came up with an ingenious 
modular seating design that incorporated 
shaped ergonomic seats, adjustable desk 
surfaces, and task lamps. Over several 
semesters, they iterated their design with 
their advising professor, Help Hunt, SAC, 
and library administration. After the final 
design was approved, they built and tested 
a prototype.

To complete the project, the Archies 
created milling specifications and had 
the modular pieces for ten units cut from 
plywood by a commercial firm. Over the 
summer and fall, they constructed the seats 
(gluing the plywood pieces together to 
create solid laminated surfaces, sanding 
and hand-finishing them, and bolting to-
gether the freestanding units). Finally, they 
transported the carrels to the library and 
installed them. Within hours, the seats were 
in use as if they had always been there. 
Because they are up against the windows, 
using them during a Pittsburgh winter takes 
a strong constitution, but everyone loves 
these window seats!

Tables into whiteboards
Another idea Help Hunt students proposed 
was transforming ordinary library study 
tables into whiteboards, and making white-
board markers and erasers available at the 
library circulation desks—in temporary 
exchange for the student’s CMU ID. After 
investigating options, from whiteboard 
paint (least expensive) to high-pressure 
laminate whiteboard surfaces (most ex-
pensive), Help Hunt chose a medium-cost 
solution, a self-adhesive whiteboard film 
that they could install themselves. They 
tested it on one table in fall 2008 and 
learned two things: the material was tricky 
to apply (hard to line up with table top and 
apply without bubbles), and students loved 
the whiteboard functionality. So Help Hunt 
persevered, learning to work with the ma-
terial and having better success with each 
table. By the end of spring 2009, ten tables 
had been converted to whiteboards—and 



July/August 2011  401 C&RL News

they were in constant use. However, heavy 
use took its toll; by the end of 2010, the 
surfaces were peeling and could no longer 
be erased clean.

The Hunt Library experience with con-
verting tables to whiteboards inspired staff 
at the Engineering and Science Library to 
convert three of their study tables into white-
boards using water-based whiteboard paint. 
Unfortunately, this experiment was unsatis-
factory from beginning 
to end (from smelly 
wet paint through rapid 
product failure).

Because of the over-
whelming popularity of 
whiteboard tables for 
informal group study 
in the library, SAC and 
Help Hunt have recom-
mended upgrading to 
the most expensive and 
most durable option: 
high pressure white-
board laminated to ½”-
inch fiberboard, cut to 
fit and attached to table 
tops with a band of 
metal trim. This option 
increased table height 
slightly, and required 
installation by university 
facilities services. With 
this implementation, in 
an effort to extend the 
life of the new surfaces, 
the library is making 
available whiteboard 
cleaner, as well as markers and erasers.

Conclusion
These experiences were, for the most part, 
unique to one university and to circumstanc-
es at a particular time. In the Hunt Library 
lighting project, we had the happy conver-
gence of idea-anniversary-donor, as well as 
an ideal façade for dramatic exterior lighting. 
The new look advertises the library and our 
campus as a lively, modern, and fun place 

for students, and we further have engaged 
students to ensure the lighting reflects their 
interests and concerns. With our SAC and 
the serendipitous advent of the Help Hunt 
group, we have been privileged to partner 
with enthusiastic, creative members of our 
target audience. By listening and respond-
ing within our means to student needs and 
priorities, we are transforming the academic 
library experience. Although our custom 

fin seating is probably a 
unique Carnegie Mellon 
phenomenon, white-
board tables and many 
other student-centric in-
novations are universal. 

The takeaway—for 
any library, at any in-
stitution—is to engage, 
l i s t e n  t o ,  a n d  w o r k 
with your students. At 
CMU Libraries, work-
ing with students has 
been hugely positive. 
Student satisfaction with 
the library is remarkably 
high. Why? Not because 
we are spending more—
which, of course, we are 
not—but because we are 
investing in the things 
that matter to students. 
Do we have a café? Yes. 
Are we open 24/5? Yes. 
Are we weeding collec-
tions and storing low-
use materials to make 
room for students in the 

library? Yes. Are we focused on the digital 
future of libraries? Yes. Do we support stu-
dents working in groups? Yes—we have built 
some group study rooms, and hope to build 
more. We are soliciting donor support for 
our first group study equipped with projec-
tion and other technology so that students 
can practice presentations and panels, or 
watch videos for class. We continue to make 
the library, as a whole, a welcoming flexible 
collaboration space. Active use of whiteboard 

Ten window seat study carrels were de-
signed, built, and installed by three architec-
ture students. The students and their work 
were featured on the dean’s 2010 holiday 
greeting, sent to university colleagues, and 
library donors. Photo and design by CMU 
Communications Design and Photography 
Group.



C&RL News July/August 2011  402

tables indicates that they do help students 
to work or study together. Our university 
believes that students’ learning to work to-
gether in groups is a key to their preparation 
for leadership in a global world. We are con-
fident that these and future student-initiated 
innovations will push student satisfaction 
even higher.

Notes
1. Student-selected holidays: Lighting 

celebrations (number of suggestions) sug-
gested color

Valentine’s Day (36) red
St. Patrick’s Day (26) green
Pittsburgh sports events (11) + Super Bowl 

(9) = (20) black ‘n’ gold
July 4 (19) red-white-blue
Lunar New Year (18) red
Christmas (15) red-green
Halloween (13) orange-black
Memorial Day (11) red-white-blue
Earth Day (10) go dark!
Presidents’ Day (8) red-white-blue

Holi (7) TBA
Veteran’s Day (7) red-white-blue
Diwali (6) TBA
Martin Luther King Day (6) TBA
CMU Carnival (5) CMU colors, moving
Flag Day (4) red-white-blue
Labor Day (4) red-white-blue

2. Other “Help Hunt” projects:

 = completed
• = pending

 Provide staplers and three-hole punches 
at copiers and printers. 
 Reconfigure some stacks to improve 

user space. 
 Update study areas with tables and 

chairs that are easily moved around. 
• Create additional casual, comfortable 

meeting and seating areas (pending donor 
support).

• Create a mural in the central stairwell 
of the Hunt Library (pending donor sup-
port). 

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