The transformation of the first floor of Joyner Library into the Collaborative Learning Center produced significant changes to collection and user spaces. Collaboration, in this context, refers to students engaged in teamwork with technology and support services. A Culture War emerged when some faculty, displeased with the loss of the traditional library ethos, voiced their concerns about the future of the library at East Carolina University. This study is an analysis of the implementation of a collaborative commons in an academic research library with a focus on faculty criticism and lessons learned from the experience.