Albertsons Library is transforming to meet the evolving needs of the Boise State community. We are undertaking a period of bold investment to demonstrate our role as the central hub for campus scholarship, ensuring that every aspect of our research and learning environment is accessible and high-performing.
This library-wide transformation includes three major strategic initiatives:
- Digital Access: Adopting new federal standards for accessibility and implementing a new library catalog to ensure equitable, reliable access to all resources.
- Future-Ready Spaces: Modernizing our facilities, from creating new labs like the Sound Production Suite and extending the Albertsons Library MakerLab, to renovating core areas, to better support collaboration and creativity.
- Long-Term Excellence: Thoughtfully refreshing our collection and upgrading critical building infrastructure to guarantee the longevity and safety of our resources and spaces.
These efforts ensure that Albertsons Library continues to serve as the collaborative hub and vital resource connecting every member of the Boise State community.
Upcoming Closures
The Library outage durations will be from May 11 through June 14, and from June 29 through July 31. For more information, please visit the Capital Renewal Program.
Library Catalog
Albertsons Library has successfully migrated to our new Library Services Platform, powered by FOLIO. This transition brings a more flexible and integrated system to support our campus community’s research and resource needs.
Our new library catalog, Locate, replaces Voyager as the central hub for physical resources, lendable technology, and course reserves. Additionally, EBSCO Discovery Service (EDS) has replaced WorldCat Discovery, offering streamlined search results across print and electronic collections.
As part of this transition, the Library has switched from EZproxy to OpenAthens for authentication. Catalog and vendor links will be updated immediately, but existing proxy links in Canvas courses and other platforms will need to be updated gradually. Please visit the OpenAthens and Connecting to Library Electronic Resources LibGuide for information on how to update links to OpenAthens. Both EZProxy and OpenAthens will run simultaneously through the end of the year.
ADA Compliance Changes
Restrooms:
The restrooms on the first and second floor east areas have received new countertops, lowered to provide better accessibility for wheelchair users.
Other restrooms received minor but necessary adjustments, including the installation of grab bars in toilet stalls and padding/covering of drain pipes under sinks.
Databases:
Boise State University is actively engaged in an institution-wide effort to ensure information, programs, and services are accessible to all. Albertsons Library is assessing our database offerings to ensure that all members of the community can access our digital resources.
This initiative directly supports the ADA Title II on Digital Accessibility, with a deadline of April 2027.
This transformation is safeguarding continuous access to our vital digital collections. By working with our vendors to meet federal accessibility standards, Albertsons Library is ensuring that essential databases and platforms remain a cornerstone of scholarship for all members of the Boise State community now and in the future.
Collection Renewal
All collections housed on the third and fourth floors will be inaccessible throughout the Spring and Summer 2026 terms as we refresh our collection. Students and faculty are encouraged to utilize our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services during this closure. ILL makes available article delivery and short-term loans from libraries and document suppliers on a local, statewide, national, and international basis.
While some study areas and the lactation room are temporarily unavailable, we are committed to supporting your academic needs. Please utilize these alternative spaces across campus:
- First-floor study rooms are available on a first-come, first service basis.
- Study rooms can be reserved through OIT in campus buildings, including the Micron Business and Economics Building and the Interactive Learning Center.
- A comprehensive list of nursing and lactation room options on the Human Resources webpage, Lactation (Nursing) Rooms, that work with your schedule.
Sound Mixing Suite
Albertsons Library, in collaboration with the Music Department, is developing a permanent, professional-grade Sound Production Suite to anchor interdisciplinary creative work across film, music, GIMM (Games, Interactive Media, and Mobile), communication, and other academic programs.
This shared, centrally managed space ensures equitable access to advanced audio production resources that no single department currently has. The suite will be outfitted with high-end tools, including a Mac Studio workstation, near-field speakers, studio microphones, and professional sound treatment, creating an industry-level environment for student learning and collaboration.
This effort is being coordinated in stages, with the ultimate goal of developing a Dolby Atmos environment within the next three to four years. Dolby Atmos is an immersive audio format that treats sound as “audio objects” that can be placed and moved freely in three-dimensional space, including overhead. This capability creates a far more realistic and spatially accurate listening experience for film, music, games, and VR content, positioning the Library as a hub for innovation and cutting-edge digital scholarship.