buley library addition completed

Thu., Jul 03

New Wing Features Study Rooms, Picturesque Views of New Haven

The construction of a 135,000-square-foot addition to Buley Library has been completed, marking a significant milestone in the $63.7 million library renovation and expansion project.

Offices and books have been moved into the new wing so that the renovation of the existing 98,000-square-foot portion of the facility can begin. The entire project is scheduled to be finished in 2010.

"The ambiance alone is uplifting and there are some immediate improvements, but it will still be tight space-wise until the entire project is completed," says Christina Baum, director of library services, pictured here in the new space. "But once that occurs, the difference will be striking. It will be very attractive to students and we are confident it will truly be the academic hub of the campus."

The new portion of the library includes two-story reading rooms with sweeping views of West Rock. Group study rooms are a feature of the new wing, as are increased office space and new furniture, such as study tables with lamps and lounge seats.

Once completed, the library will have more than doubled in size and will include a spiral staircase and an atrium that will connect the old and new portions of the building. The project will enable the library's general print collection to be expanded from the current 460,000 volumes to 765,000 volumes, according to Robert Sheeley, associate vice president for capital budgeting and facilities operations. Sheeley says there will also  be increased space for computer labs and study areas, and seating capacity will quadruple to about 1,600 seats.

"It's a very exciting time for Southern and the best is yet to come," says Sheeley, who has spearheaded the university's $260 million facilities improvement program during the last decade. The library project is the final piece of that program, which has also included the renovation and expansion of Engleman Hall, the university's main academic building; the construction of the Michael J. Adanti Student Center, which is about triple the size of the previous student center, and the construction of a new Energy Center, which provides the campus with a more efficient and environmentally friendly power supply.

A temporary entrance to the building has been installed in the new wing of the building while the renovation to the existing facility is under way. But once the project is finished, the former entrance will be restored, Baum says.

The Pike Co. of Rochester, N.Y., is the contractor for the library project, while the construction administrator is Fusco Corp. of New Haven. The architects are Arbonies, King and Vlock, PC, of Branford, and Shepley, Bulfinch, Richardson and Abbott of Boston.

Buley Library opened in 1970 and was named after Hilton C. Buley, who served as president of Southern from 1954 to 1971.

The library is home to the School of Communication, Library and Information Science.