University of Iowa officials have began work on the new Learning Commons in the Main Library.

Chris Clark, the UI learning-spaces technologies manager, presented the project’s details to the UI Student Government at a general Senate meeting Tuesday night.

"The first phase of this is going to be moving a lot of the library staff in that space up to the fifth floor," he said. "It won’t be too terribly disruptive."

The heaviest demolition will start in May 2012, once students leave for the summer.

The 37,000-square-foot project is slated for completion in fall 2013, and it will cost the UI roughly $14 million.

The space will include 20 private-group study areas, 150 desktop computers, and study space for more than 500 students. It will have a 45-seat TILE classroom and a renovated café.

Officials plan to cut a hole in the east side of the Main Library, creating a primary entrance for students on Madison Street. They will also cut "a decent amount of holes" in the building for additional windows, Clark said.

The Learning Commons will be open 24 hours a day, five days a week.

— by Kristen East