Turning the Page at Chester Fritz Library

“Hey y’all, welcome to the library!” 

If the Chester Fritz Library (CFL) were a person, that’s how it would greet visitors, said Brian Garrison, interim head of Instruction and Creative Technology. 

Gone are the days of stern looks and whispered shushing. “It’s a fine place to be loud, and engage with friends and community,” Garrison said.

Dean Rebecca Bichel, who arrived in spring 2023, agreed. “I believe people are the core of libraries,” she said. “Our mission is people, and the impact we can have through extraordinary information resources, spaces, technology, and services. It’s about building connections and doing transformative work.”

“Maybe the most surprising thing to people of all ages is how encouraging we are of creative uses of the space,” Garrison said. 

A Place to Belong

Early on, Bichel saw opportunities to increase student engagement. “Every student who walks in the door is greeted by staff dedicated to their success,” she said. Students are free to eat lunch, gather with friends, and make themselves at home.

Many are surprised to learn the library stays open until midnight most weeknights and until 2 a.m. during finals. “Things students thought they knew from movies or their high school library — this is a very different environment,” she said.

Beyond books, students can check out cameras, microphones, mood lamps, hammocks, and even sound machines. “Students, faculty, and staff can borrow objects to make, create, or build something, or practice a skill or hobby,” Garrison said.

They’ll also find puzzles, board games, and video games to check out — “things you might see at someone’s house,” Bichel said. The library is preparing to open a dedicated gaming space on the first floor.

Creating Community

Students come together for movie nights, game nights, and open mic nights, the latter hosted by Assistant English Professor Patrick Henry — a partnership that reflects what CFL staff aim to create across campus. “It was actually him finding out that the library has a good place to hold that event, and us making sure he has the space and tools he needs,” Garrison said.

Bichel said the broader community is “very intentionally” invited to lectures throughout the year. Last fall, a Halloween party with pumpkin painting, a ghost-themed scavenger hunt, and games encouraged families to explore CFL resources like the children’s collection.

As North Dakota’s largest library, CFL’s impact reaches beyond campus. By covering publishing fees to make UND scholarship widely available, the library ensures critical knowledge is accessible globally. “Open access means a parent facing a child’s cancer diagnosis doesn’t have to travel to Grand Forks,” Bichel said. “They can find UND medical research with a single click.”

Creating the Future

Bichel highlighted another collaboration, the University Information Technology (UIT) makerspace on the first floor of CFL, which offers 3D printing services. “Our goal is to teach students how to design digital objects, not just how to run the machines,” she said. “That’s the skill set they’ll carry into the workforce.”

Garrison envisions the space expanding into areas like embroidery, vinyl cutting, and even ceramics. “There are all kinds of things you can do in a makerspace,” he said. “From engineering students building drones to theater students experimenting with digital textiles — it’s about giving everyone a chance to learn and create.”

A Balance 

Even as the Chester Fritz Library evolves, books remain its foundation. “The library will always have books,” Bichel said. “People don’t need to worry that they’ll disappear; information and learning are at the heart of what we do.”

The reading room still offers a traditional study atmosphere, where students give each other subtle social cues to keep the peace. 

The library’s goal, Bichel said, “is to support the whole student experience and that is a balance.

“It’s about people,” she added. “We want this library to be a place that empowers, connects, and transforms.”

From R1 to Premier: The Chester Fritz Journey

UND’s R1 designation signals “very high research activity,” and ranks UND among 187 other top universities, but Dean Rebecca Bichel of the Chester Fritz Library sees it as just the beginning. “We are a University in motion,” she said. Her goal is to position the Chester Fritz Library as a premier research library on the national stage — a status often tied to large budgets that can be challenging for smaller universities to match.

A hurdle is the changing world of publishing. Open access publishing — which makes articles freely available to anyone online — is transforming how scholarship is shared. Bichel sees opportunity in that shift. “The scholarship of a UND graduate student or faculty member has a much broader audience. It’s good for UND. It’s good for the researcher.” By negotiating contracts to offset fees, the library helps ensure UND research is both published in top journals and freely available worldwide.