Extreme Makeover: Campus Edition

Breathtaking Design and State-of-the-Art Amenities Highlight New Library

After nearly seven years of anticipation and preparation, the major objectives for the completion of the new library now consist of polishing the rich cherry banisters and thoroughly vacuuming and sweeping up 134,000 square feet of floor, all in time for the start of the 2005-2006 academic year.

The new library is scheduled to officially open August 29, the same day as Convocation, when the majority of students and a number of faculty and staff members will be back on campus and ready to explore five floors of awe-inspiring educational facilities.

The new library is chock full of carefully-considered and thoughtful amenities, including both WiFi and LAN Internet access, power connections at every carrel and study table, 24 large group-study rooms, and a 105-seat multipurpose auditorium. Instructional Technology Services, formerly located on the first floor of Forcina Hall, has moved its resources to the basement of the new library, making for an easy “one-stop-shop” for students working on any project. A late-night/24-hour (exact hours are to be determined, and will be based on actual user-demand) study area is also planned, complete with security features. For the late night hours, security gates will come down and block off all areas of the library except for the designated study area. Also, as an added safety measure, students will be required to swipe their ID card in order to enter the building during the late night hours.

“We wanted this new library to be a space for people,” said Dean of the Library Taras Pavlovsky. “It isn’t just a space for books. This facility may very well be the new campus hub.” One of Pavlovsky’s favorite amenities in the new library? The “comfy” seats and ottomans that line the windowed perimeters of each floor. Oh yeah, there are power and Internet connections there, too.

Aside from the state-of-the-art technology and extreme user-friendly comfort, one of the most anticipated aspects of the new library will remain on hold until the semester is well-underway. The Library Café, a Starbucks franchise, will be available starting in mid-September. Another tasteful detail will be the installation of a commemorative glass panel, made from the salvaged glass of the Alumni Chapel. Look for that in the basement of the new library, near the area where the chapel once stood.

Though the collection remains generally the same in the new facility, Pavlovsky cited that several exciting exhibits will be on display this fall, including one highlighting Walt Whitman and the College’s own first edition printing of Leaves of Grass. Another exhibit of faculty works is slated to be shown from early October through mid-November.

An official dedication of the new library will take place at 3 p.m. on October 28, the Friday of Grand Finale Sesquicentennial Homecoming Weekend.

“I am so pleased to have been a part of this project from start to finish,” said Pavlovsky. “As a member of the original planning committee and now as dean, it is very exciting for me to have seen firsthand just how this project evolved.”

For more information about anything involving the library, please visit www.tcnj.edu/~library.