Enhancing Our Learning Environment: Upcoming Relocation of the Mahaffey Business Library

As part of our continued efforts to modernize and enhance the academic experience at the Mendoza College of Business, we are preparing for the thoughtful relocation of the Mahaffey Business Library. 

This change was necessitated by the temporary space crunch during the construction of the North Addition, which also provided an opportunity to rethink and reimagine the role of the Business Library and all of the ways the library has been serving our faculty and students. The purpose of the relocation is to expand space for students, faculty and staff, while maintaining the critical research tools, support services and collaborative culture that define the Mendoza learning experience.

First, I would like to thank Kristen Collett-Schmitt, associate dean for the Undergraduate and Specialized Master's Programs, and Ron Grisoli and Chris Fruehwirth for their invaluable support and partnership during this significant transition. Additionally, I want to recognize our committed business librarians — Pete Pietraszewski, Kim Ferraro and Michael Deike — as well as Hesburgh leadership, including Dean Margaret Meserve and associate University librarian Mark Dehmlow, for their ongoing collaboration. Their joint efforts have been crucial in developing a relocation strategy that respects the library’s vital role within the Mendoza community.

A Strategic Move to Strengthen Services

The relocation reflects a broader plan to align our physical spaces with Mendoza’s evolving academic and strategic needs. The Mahaffey Business Library’s core services will remain as a vital part of our community, now in a reimagined format that maintains close access to technologies, research tools and librarian expertise.

To ensure minimal disruption and maximum benefit, the transition will include:

• A new Technology and Collaboration Corridor (TCC) positioned between two of our largest computer classrooms, L068 and L062. This will allow the library to maintain crucial on-site equipment and services, while also providing scale-up access to free computers when our students most need them, particularly outside of class hours and during study days and exams (see ground plan).
  
• Enhanced access to Bloomberg terminals through the creation of our new Trading Room and by placing additional units within the TCC for general use. We will more than double our current capacity of Bloomberg terminals within the College walls.
  
• Ongoing presence of business librarians in Mendoza, offering in-person consultations and instructional support by using the adjacent computer classrooms and team rooms.
  
• A dedicated printer cluster, preserving essential printing access in the heart of Mendoza.
  
  

Listening to Our Community

Input from faculty and students played a central role in shaping this plan. We’ve heard the value you place on proximity, support and collaboration — and this plan directly reflects that feedback. We remain committed to a smooth transition, with clear communication and ample opportunity for feedback throughout and beyond.

What’s Next

The relocation will occur in phases throughout 2025, with careful planning, continuous support, and opportunities for community input along the way. We will continue to share updates as the process unfolds.

This move preserves and enhances the research, teaching and learning support that Mendoza depends on. By evolving how we use our space, we better position our College to support a growing and dynamic academic community.

Finally, we are now exploring the best way to repurpose the space currently occupied by the business library, including the offices for the business librarians. We are in urgent need of additional space for staff, especially space that can accommodate a larger group of staff to be housed together, rather than working in multiple separate offices. During the construction of the North Addition, we are also in critical need for offices for our faculty. We will be communicating more definite plans as those are developed over the next few months.

Thank you for your continued support and engagement as we move forward together.

Ryan Retartha

Advisor to the Dean and Senior Director of Strategy & Planning