Forget what you know about libraries. Dark spaces, cramped rows of books, even silence. Since opening last August, the Munday Library has quickly become the intellectual hub of campus.
4
By Robyn Ross | Photos by Jessica Attie ’04
3
5 3 “I’ve been here since 8 a.m., and it’s 12:13 now,” says David Kitson ’15, who’s from San Salvador, El Salvador, and is studying for a finance test. “I come here twice a week and usually sit over there [by Ayoub], so I can see everyone walking by. But I don’t talk to them.” 4 The new library bears the name of Pat and Bill Munday, whose gift of $13 million funded its construction. One of the hallmarks of the Munday Library is its global digital classrooms, which can link sudents and faculty to the best minds in the world through videoconferencing. 5 The library floor is elevated 2 feet above the concrete foundation, and floor panels can be lifted to allow easy access to wiring. “We can change the electrical conduits easily, which is important if 10 years from now we want to reconfigure the computers, or there are different types of computers,” Sennyey says. A second benefit of the raised flooring is the in-ground air-conditioning vents, which are quiet
6
and unobtrusive. Both designs contribute to the building’s sustainability. “We have more than 10,000 additional square feet than the old building, but we consume less energy.” 6 John Grisham’s Sycamore Row is the reading material of choice for David Green, a retired Spanish teacher who drove a bus of Del Valle High School students to campus for a tour. He picked it from the rotating collection of popular fiction available for two-week checkout. “Instead of sitting on the bus, I thought I’d come here and read a book while I wait,” he says. “Now I’m into it so much that I’ll go to Half Price Books and get my own copy.”
27
7310 SEU.indd 27
5/15/14 6:46 AM