At the heart of UM's Coral Gables campus, a former lecture hall has been renovated and transformed into a place of learning and discovery to benefit the entire community: the Kislak Center at the University of Miami. Established with a landmark gift to the University of the Jay I. Kislak Collection of the Early Americas, Exploration and Navigation, the Center houses the departments of Special Collections and University Archives and features a grand reading room in which to serve local and distant researchers. The Center hosts public programing for the University's centers, institutes, schools, colleges, and libraries during the evening and weekend hours, and the gallery showcases items from the vaults of these distinctive collections. The Center is available for rental by University of Miami faculty and staff.