I’ll have a Mint Mocha Chip Frappuccino, a media lab, a couple of practice presentation rooms, and a few dozen group study rooms to go, please.
Oh, and make it 5 stories.
Ok, so right now we’re just dreaming, but it’s a dream with reality in sight. For the past 2 years, a group of UTC faculty, students, and community members have dreamed, discussed, wrangled, and hammered out a “program statement” – the full description of the proposed new University Library and Information Center. The architectural firms of Derthick, Henley & Wilkerson/Artech is in the process of getting final approvals for plans before starting the bidding and contract award process. Look for construction equipment to start appearing next spring. July 2010 is the target for beginning construction and we hope to move in by Spring 2012.
The new UTC Library will be at the corner of Vine and Douglas, next to Chamberlain Field. Plans are for Chamberlain Field itself to become a beautiful landscaped greenspace. The new L-shaped Library will wrap around this greenspace and enjoy lovely views on that side. There will be a main entrance in the corner, along with a separate entrance for the large Starbucks coffee shop and cafe. A veranda outside the Starbucks will give us space to sit and enjoy that cup of Mint Mocha Chip Frappuccino.
The State’s budget shortfall nearly put the kibosh on the new Library this summer. Thanks to the hard work of some of our forward-thinking legislators on the budget committee and Governor Bredesen funding was preserved and the Library project allowed to move forward. We appreciate everyone who wrote to their State legislators in support of the Library. The current Lupton Library opened in 1974 for a campus of 4,574 enrolled students. Our student population is now nearly 10,000! In 1974, the Library owned 170,000 books; today we have 1.7 MILLION items. In 1974, personal computers didn’t even exist, and the current building isn’t designed to support the computers and other devices that are now so important to research and scholarship.
Student services and technology are front and center in the new UTC Library. The entire building is designed with the robust infrastructure needed to support today’s and tomorrow’s technology devices. Students, staff and faculty can bring their own laptops or use one of the Library’s 400+ desktops and notebooks. The digital creation and conversion center will give students a lab where they can create and edit videos or convert analog media to digital, with help from specially trained staff. The learning and information commons will provide more than just computers and printing; Reference Librarians and Technology Specialists will be there, ready to assist, teach and troubleshoot problems with students.
The new LEED certified Library will be the first green building on campus. (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.) It will encompass 180,000 square feet and have loads of windows to take maximum advantage of natural light (with the added bonus of some beautiful views of campus and Lookout Mountain.) Each floor will have its own character and purpose. Here are some of the highlights:
1st floor
Most of the books will be on this floor, using compact, moveable shelving.
2nd floor
Starbucks Coffee Shop and Cafe
Study space open 24/5 (Sunday through Thursday)
Digital creation and conversion center
New books browsing area
Movies and music
3rd floor
Reference/help desk and learning and information commons with 150 seats
Special practice presentation rooms where students can record and review their performances
4th floor
Most of the 40+ group study rooms will be on this floor.
Graduate student lounge with computers
Academic Student Support Center (tutoring, writing center, advising, etc.)
Quiet study lounge
5th floor
Grand Reading area
University Archives and Special Collections
Faculty lounge with computers
Walker Teaching Resource Center
Faculty and graduate student carrels
Auditorium
Independent to new building; will be built next to the new library
2 auditoriums, 150 to 200 seats each.
Read more about the new UTC Library and join the discussion at https://wikilib.utc.edu/index.php/Library_Building_Project.