Library to be built behind Festival
By Kelly Conniff, contributing writer
Posted on September 11, 2006

Can you put a price on knowledge?

JMU did, and it’s about $26 million — the cost of the new library to be built on the east side of campus behind Festival and the Leeolou Alumni Center.

“The project was part of the General Obligation Bond capital funding accomplished in 2002,” said Win Hunt, the Director of Facilities Planning and Construction.

The new, and still unnamed, library is expected to be completed in spring 2008 to coincide with JMU’s centennial year. It will be roughly the size of Carrier Library at 106,000 square feet.

The need for the library has become apparent in recent years, as a growth in the library collections and student population has occurred.

“About 25 percent  of the collections at Carrier Library will be transferred to the new library,” said Ralph Alberico, the Dean of Libraries and Educational Technologies. “This will help accommodate our growing collections and make more room for staff and students.”

The library will house the majority of JMU’s science and technology collections, but still incorporate multiple features that will appeal to all students.

One such feature is the Information Commons, a desk that combines the services of both the  circulation and  reference desks in Carrier Library, and will add new helpful technology and media.

The five-story structure will also feature computer labs, a coffee bar, a 24-hour section and various types of seating. There will be an emphasis on group seating and expand on the areas that Carrier Library offers, with a variety of sizes of rooms.

“We want the most people to derive the most enjoyment and usefulness out of this space,” said John McGehee, a current CISAT librarian. “We hope it will be bright, comfortable and inviting. This area will hopefully serve as an enhancement to the library experience of students.”

Despite the fact that the majority of the collections located in the new library will relate to majors located on the east side of campus, the library will still have a variety of draws for students not involved in those academic studies.

“These areas are going to be open and available to all students,” Alberico said. “These spaces will have technology that will facilitate collaboration between students and faculty.”

The fifth floor of the structure will contain areas for faculty such as the Center for Instructional Technology and the Center for Faculty Innovation. This floor will also house a faculty seminar room.

“Essentially, there are two things we hope to offer with the new library,” Alberico said. “There will be space for science, technology and health sciences materials as well as library materials, areas and areas for students and faculty to grow and learn with technology.”