A word-cloud artwork in the new Research Lab displays the 100 most common words used in students’ honors theses last year

Walls have been taken down on the first floor of the Hawthorne-Longfellow Library, opening up two new spaces — one focused on research, the other on academic technology.

As you enter the H-L library and walk toward the back of the floor, you will find on your left the new Research Lab. The space is set up with moveable tables and chairs and a new multimedia workstation. All of the research librarians’ offices are connected to the space, making it  more convenient for students, faculty and other researchers to get help with their investigations.

“We wanted to make it a flexible, comfortable area,” said Karen Jung, who is Bowdoin’s music librarian and coordinator of research and instructional services. The most important thing was removing barriers.”

On the other side of the floor is the new Innovation Lab, which has been outfitted with such technology as a 3D printer, an Oculus for virtual reality programs, and several single board computers. Again, the staff who can help faculty and students with technology-driven academic projects all have offices opening up to the space.

“We wanted to raise awareness of the technology we have and the ways it is contributing to the academic curriculum,” said Stephen Houser, director of Academic Technology and Consulting.