[WLA-All] Groundbreaking for the New Addition to William Robertson Coe Library

[Nancy Lyn Cyrus Marlatt]

Groundbreaking Set for the New Addition to William Robertson Coe Library

	

 

	

October 5, 2007 -- Groundbreaking for the new addition to and renovation of University of Wyoming's William Robertson Coe Library will be held Friday, Oct. 5, at 2 p.m. on the north end of the Anthropology building. Guest speakers include President Tom Buchanan and head football coach Joe Glenn. Members of the public are invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony. 

The five-story, 92,765-square-foot addition will include a five-story rotunda skylight, 200 computer terminals, reference services, information technology services, a café, a 1,500 square-foot meeting commons for up to 75 people, twenty group study rooms, and more than 125 office spaces for library staff and faculty members and student employees. Concurrently with the new construction, the 188,656 square-feet of existing building will undergo renovation. Funded in 2005 by the Wyoming State Legislature, the $49.9 million project is scheduled to be completed in September 2009. 

"The addition will meet student demands for integrated learning that combines information, technology, and assistance in a modern facility. Today's information is packaged in a variety of formats including printed and electronic books, online journals, databases, and media such as recordings, music, and movies. The addition and renovation will bring together these formats to enable students to readily access information and incorporate it within their research and learning," says Maggie Farrell, dean of University Libraries. 

"The addition will also add interactive learning spaces such as group study rooms, electronic classrooms, video rooms, a reading room and quiet spaces to accommodate different learning styles," she says. 

A highlight of the new addition is the 3,220 square-foot computer commons located centrally on the main level near the entrance. The computer commons will feature 150 computer terminals with 24-hour access. Adjacent to the commons will be reference services and information technology services in one convenient location. In addition, the new facility will have two electronic classrooms with 50 computer terminals combined. Both the addition and the current building will be wireless enabled.

"As a primary social center for the university, William Robertson Coe Library will continue to feature The Book & Bean Café and have new meeting facilities for university gatherings. Faculty will also be pleased with the new Ellbogen Center for Teaching and Learning, the Writing Center, and the improved spaces for the libraries' collections and special collections housing the Grace Raymond Hebard Collection," noted Farrell.