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SOU will add $20 million wing to library It will provide more space for collections, reading, studying and meetings By AYISHA YAHYA Mail Tribune ASHLAND - Southern Oregon University officials are looking forward to a bigger and more modern library with a coffee shop, larger reading areas and increased electronic access. SOU is adding a $20 million wing to the current library on the building's east side, according to the library director Sue Burkholder. She said construction will begin in January and may be completed by fall 2004. The current library, built in 1967, also will be renovated and refurbished. Burkholder said the new wing is vital to meet the demands of growing book collections and changing technology. "Our collection grows every year," she said. "That is one of the reasons we need the new building. We're chock-full." With the extension, the library will have 110,000 square feet of space. She said the extension will provide more spaces for teaching and access to electronic information through wired and wireless connections. It would also provide an area to showcase the library's special collection archives. The new wing will include more reading rooms, electronic classrooms, a regular classroom, meeting rooms, and a coffee shop with a plaza. Group study areas will increase from three to 24, the government document section will be moved from the third to the first floor and a new periodicals area will be added. It will include the new Center for Teaching and Learning, a resource center for faculty centered on enhancing student learning. The library entrance will have a massive glass rotunda. Large windows overlooking the campus grounds will dominate many parts of the building, creating a light and airy effect, Burkholder said. Some sections will have couches and the coffee shop will add a social element to the academic setting. "We want the building to draw people in," she said. The Legislature approved $15 million for the project and the university will come up with the rest. A campus campaign to raise funds for the extension started last week. Burkholder said they hope to raise about $112,000 through the campaign and get the rest through foundations, business and private donations. The campus campaign's goal is $37,500, with President Elisabeth Zinser's office matching the funds 2 to 1. The president's funds will come from an Oregon University System allocation to the president's office, which Zinser chose to direct toward library renovation. The new wing was designed by SRG Partnership, a Portland based company. "The goal was to create a place students wanted to come, to inspire student activity," said Skip Stanaway, one of the project's architects. He said the extension will combine style elements from other buildings on campus and become a "beacon for learning on campus." He said the building was designed with sustainability in mind and would take advantage of natural light and ventilation and recycled materials. SOU Provost Sara Hopkins-Powell, said the library is an asset not only for the university but also for the community. "We really are conceptualizing the library as a learning center," she said. She said through the spaces created for the special collections, scholars would be able to view some rare materials. She added the library is valuable to small local businesses, because of its large government document section. Burkholder, who has been a librarian for 30 years, said she is excited about the changes, because libraries play a central role in the community. "It's a wonderful day for people who care about learning," she said. She said SOU's library expansion, the Ashland Public Library addition, and the new Medford library all will benefit the Rogue Valley. "The library functions not only as the corporate mind, but also the corporate soul ... they are the center of a lot that we do," she said. Reach reporter Ayisha Yahya at 776-4468, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.