Photo by Patrick Pfister Marty Rosen (left), director of library services at IU Southeast, looks over a model of the new library building with IUS Chancellor Sandra Patterson-Randles. Construction is expected to be completed later this year and will open for the 2004-2005 academic year. The library is located between Hillside and Crestview halls on the New Albany campus. Photo by Patrick Pfister When the new library opens, the facility will include adaptive technology and both wired and wireless access, as well as substantially more space to house its book and periodical collections. This view of construction was taken in the late fall.

“We’ve had unusually good weather through the summer and fall,” said Marty Rosen, director of library services. “This has been an extremely happy project for everyone who’s been involved. It’s going very well, and I’m thrilled with their progress.”

The $15.4 million building will become a new focal point for the campus and provide a new environment for learning, said Chancellor Sandra Patterson-Randles.

“The new library will reflect our achievements and aspirations,” she said. “It will connect our students, our faculty, our city and our state with the information resources of the world. It will be a place of light and enlightenment.”

The new facility will contain 52,000 assignable square feet for study and collections—an increase from the present library’s 34,000 square feet. Individual and group study areas will abound, with a variety of seating options designed to facilitate student learning and scholarship.

The building also will have adaptive technology with a combination of wired and wireless access for library users—making every seat a wealth of online knowledge and information. The new library also will contain a sophisticated instructional technology lab and various small conference areas for campus and community usage. Space will also be provided for additional archival needs for the many special collections and publications that the library preserves.

“Our new library will not merely be a repository for literary and artistic materials,” said Patterson-Randles. “Rather, it will be a little more like the ancient Greek notion of the gymnasion—a cultural center for a wide variety of daily activities, including books and study rooms, but also characterized by lively discussion in seminar rooms and lounges.”

The building’s design is practical and aesthetically pleasing. It will be an extremely well-lighted facility with a welcoming atmosphere.

“The design is geared to the students of today—with all the technological improvements imaginable,” said Patterson-Randles. “It will be a fantastic addition to the campus.”

Along with the new building, the project calls for a $6 million renovation of the existing library building for an expanded university center and administrative offices. The facility also will house student services and organizations, as well as an expanded food-service area.