Grey Nuns Reading Room opens its doors

Peace and quiet — that is what the Reading Room in the Grey Nuns Building provides to students in need of a quiet place to study for a mid-term exam, review notes for an upcoming class or work on a research paper.

Located in the former Chapel of the Invention of the Holy Cross, the Reading Room officially opened its doors on September 2. The room boasts comfortable chairs to accommodate 192 students at study tables, designed to support individual work and features quality lighting. There are an additional 42 chairs in small reading rooms.

Students looking for a place to work on a team project can take advantage of one of the 14 group study rooms, equipped with screens with connectors for laptops and large white boards.

All rooms are now part of Concordia’s Libraries.

The renovations that transformed the former chapel into the new Reading Room maintained the integrity of the interior and external structural elements and materials, including maintaining the religious symbols, stained glass windows and beautiful woodwork.

Prior to renovations, the former chapel was deconsecrated to render it fit for use as study space. The chapel was designed by noted architect Victor Bourgeau who planned and created more than 250 churches, cathedrals and other sites around Quebec.

Here are the 7 things you need to know about the new Grey Nuns library spaces:

1. Silence is golden — this means no talking or whispering in the new Reading Room. Make sure your electronic devices are on “silent” mode.
2. You will need your Concordia student ID card to enter the Grey Nuns Building. Use the entrance at 1190 Guy St.
3. As of September 8, you can book a group study room in advance through the Libraries’ new online booking system.
   
4. The Reading Room and group study rooms can be used Mondays to Thursdays, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and until 6 p.m. on Fridays. On Saturdays and Sundays, the rooms are open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
5. You can eat your lunch or snack in a lunch room (B-105). You can drink in the Reading Room, small reading rooms and group study rooms, but you need to use a spill-proof mug or container.
6. Need help? Got a question? A library support staff or student librarian is available on site.
7. Need to access the Internet? No problem — all rooms have Wi-Fi.

Find out more about the Grey Nuns Residence and Reading Room.