Ohio University’s CoLab, which opened on Sept. 17 and had an official ribbon cutting ceremony on Oct. 18, on the third floor of Alden Library, has extended its hours of operation to better allow students to take advantage of the space later into the night.
“We have been overwhelmed and excited by the demand for use of space in CoLab since it opened last month,” said Program Manager for CoLab, Matt Thomson. “We are happy to share that we have hired some more student staff to provide expanded hours to accommodate student needs.”
To keep the space open longer, CoLab hired several work study students to help maintain longer hours of operation. As of Nov. 13, the space is now open from 8 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, closed on Saturdays and open noon to midnight on Sundays.
The new space, conceptualized four years ago by students in the Center for Entrepreneurship, is designed as a physical hub for student innovation and entrepreneurship activities across campus.
“I think the CoLab is one of the best places to work anywhere around campus and especially in the library,” said sophomore marketing major, Katie Ballinger. “They’ve done a lot to make sure it’s comfortable for students and that we have all the sources we need to have a productive work environment. With how effective it is, I’m glad to see the hours will be extended so we can use it even longer.”
The area serves as a center to unite students from all backgrounds, giving them the opportunity to be collaborative and innovative. Thanks to the generous donations of Board of Trustees member and Russ College of Engineering alumnus David Pidwell, his spouse, Tina, and alumni Winston and Tricia Breeden, students were able to make the space a reality to help advance OHIO’s core academic mission.
“CoLab is a great idea because there is so much emphasis on working together with your peers on projects, something that’s a big part of when you get a job in the real world,” said junior finance major, Melissa Pedulla. “A lot of work is doing projects with other people, so finally having a space in the library that you can work with a group and not be afraid of the noise level, I think it’s about time something like this was implemented into a library.”
CoLab, a collaborative effort between OHIO students, the Office of the President, The Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost , University Libraries , the Center for Entrepreneurship , the College of Business , the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs , the Russ College of Engineering and Technology , the Scripps College of Communication , the Office of Instructional Innovation , the Research Division , and the Stanford University Epicenter Innovation Fellows, will be housed on the third floor of Alden Library within the heart of OHIO’s campus.