September 2025 print edition
This story originally appeared in the September print edition of Mustang News. This version includes a full library tour video. Check out more from the edition at news stands around campus and San Luis Obispo.
Cal Poly’s Robert E. Kennedy Library is nearing the end of its two-year, $78 million transformation that will reopen the campus hub for fall quarter 2025.
When the library doors open on Sept. 15, students will find more seating options, new study zones and upgraded technology throughout the building. Expanded 24-hour hubs on the first and second floors will provide around-the-clock access, while new ground-floor classrooms and a Julian’s Cafe add both academic and social spaces.
The major renovations include all-gender restrooms, seismic upgrades and climate control improvements, along with new accessibility features such as updated elevator infrastructure, added ramps and a redesigned floor plan to make it easier to move through the building.
“It was time for a renewal of systems and, most importantly, time to make changes that better serve the student needs in the 21st century.”
Project Manager John Sandman
Closure and relocation
The Kennedy Library closed to the public on June 16, 2023, marking the start of the two-year relocation and renovation process. That same summer, Cal Poly began moving roughly 260,000 books out of the building.
About 240,000 titles went to a storage facility in Sacramento. Roughly 10,000 of the most-checked-out books stayed on campus, available by request from the Corporation Warehouse, while 12,000 architecture books were moved to Crandall Gymnasium. During the library’s closure, the university also expanded its online Interlibrary Load system, which allows students to request educational materials from other institutions.
Digital research assistance moved entirely online, with a 24/7 live chat connecting students to research librarians both on and off campus.
Child development sophomore Sarah Vali said the shift to online help shaped her entire Cal Poly experience, since she has never had access to the library as a student.
“Since being at Cal Poly, I haven’t had the library so honestly I don’t know what to expect,” Vali said. “The university has been working on it since I’ve been here, but now that I’m a second year I’m excited to have more study space open again.”
What students can expect
When students return in September, the library will look familiar from the outside but feel different inside. Expanded hubs on the first and second floors will stay open 24 hours, while a new cafe and classrooms will add both study and gathering space.
Sandman has acknowledged that the closure has been difficult for some students, particularly those in the senior class of 2025, but said in a 2024 interview that future classes will benefit from the changes.
“The thing I am most excited about is completing construction and giving the building back to students and staff,” he said.
Landscape architecture senior Lexi Breault said she is eager to see whether the changes will be noticeable once the building reopens.
“I’m curious to see what’s new,” Breault said. “The university has been pretty vague in terms of what’s different and every day I walk past it the outside is the same, so what’s really new.”
Studying without the library
By late 2023, the university set up temporary spaces, including white study tents near Dexter Lawn, rooms in Crandall Gym and expanded seating in the University Union (UU) to replace library work areas. The university also began offering 24-hour UU access and as of now, plans to continue that service after the reopening.
To help students find available seats, Cal Poly promoted the Waitz app, which shows real-time occupancy in study areas. Still, many reported crowding in popular spots, pushing some to study off campus in local coffee shops and other places around San Luis Obispo.
Vali said she often tried studying in the campus tents but found them uncomfortable during warmer months.
“I tried to use the tents around campus, but they got really warm during some parts of the year so I mainly resorted to using my dorm,” she said.
She added that she did not know about the Waitz app until later, which might have helped during times when the University Union felt overcrowded.
Some students said the library’s absence left a gap in campus life, as its tiered noise-level floors and academic-focused atmosphere were difficult to replicate in other locations. Others criticized the appearance of the white study tents and the lack of clear communication from administration about alternative study options.
Breault said even the added seating and extended hours did not solve the problem of overcrowding. “While it was nice the UU opened 24 hours, it still didn’t feel like enough,” she said.
For some students, the solution was to skip campus altogether. History and political science senior Patrick Henry said he preferred studying at home. “Living off campus, I mainly studied at home, it was just easier for me and less burdensome than finding space on campus,” Henry said.
What changed inside
Construction began in summer 2023, under contractor Hensel Phelps and architect Miller Hull Partnership, with the project pursuing LEED certification for sustainability. Major work occurred, including a roof replacement, a new main circulation staircase and “reimagined courtyard” according to Administration and Finance, the details of which are not fully known.
Much of the work focused on infrastructure, from roof and seismic upgrades to a new main staircase, but students will notice the difference in how the building functions. Redesigned study areas, new classrooms and updated technology aim to make the space more adaptable for group and individual work.
For more stories from the September print edition check out the featured print section on our website or the full issue.