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outhern is on course to be, in less than two years, home to to a state-of-the-art library that will offer students the latest in media technology in a modern and attractive facility.
The $31 million project to renovate the 98,000-square-foot original wing of Buley Library, coupled with a 135,000-squarefoot addition completed in 2008, will enable the university to boast a library almost three times larger than its predecessor. The project also includes a 12,000-square-foot atrium and skywalk connecting the two sections of the building on the first and third floors. “It is going to be a beautiful building that will be the academic hub of the campus,” said Christina Baum, director of library services. “I really think it will be a more inviting and approachable facility for our students.” The project includes the creation of an art gallery, as well as space for media collections, special collections, a cyber cafe and an “information commons” for students on the ground floor. Upper floors will feature centers for tutorial support and faculty development, as well as space for the Library Science Department and the Office of Information Technology.