Christopher Newport University has received $1.1 million in federal money to design a larger, high-tech library on campus, CNU President Paul Trible announced Tuesday afternoon.
The news evoked cheers and applause from the students, faculty and administrators who gathered around Trible at the university’s student center.
“Our purpose is to combine advanced information technology and computing services and collections with traditional library services to create a state-of-the art facility,” Trible said.
It will cost about $10 million to build an improved CNU library – just one of several multi- million projects planned for CNU. The bulk of the library funding would come from the state and, to a much lesser extent, private contributions.
A revamped CNU library is one part of a new look that’s under way at CNU, mainly to accommodate a burgeoning enrollment of full-time traditional students.
“As CNU becomes more and more full-time and more and more residential in population, and more and more selective,” he said, “greater demands are being placed on our library.”
Trible – a former U.S. Senator -pushed for the federal money by traveling to Washington to meet lawmakers such as U.S. Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Fairfax. During his announcement, Trible publicly thanked Wolf for his leadership in securing the federal money for CNU. And Trible noted support from other congressmen for the area.
It will take six months to one year to design and prepare to build an expanded, enhanced library, Trible said. Construction could begin in 2002, but that’s dependent on money from the state.
Trible recently traveled to Richmond to rally support for legislation that would allow the state to raise $900 million for construction and maintenance at Virginia’s college and university campuses. As part of the bill, CNU would receive about $8 million for its library.
The bill is under consideration by the House Appropriations Committee.
Though no design plans are firm, Trible offered a vision for what he described as a 21st century CNU library.
It would include up to 1,000 fully wired study spaces in various styles, such as carrels and study rooms for individual and group use. There could also be an area for computer consulting and research assistance.
The library would have areas for students and faculty to gather – from group study and research rooms to classrooms where people would receive training in library and computer skills.
Trible expects to more than double the size of CNU’s library to 100,280 square feet. He said it would be about half the size of the Freeman Center – which houses, in part, a fitness area, a track, and basketball and volleyball courts.
That drew “phews” and “wows” from the crowd. The project will include adding a second floor over a 1994 addition to the library. The expansion would move the library toward Warwick Boulevard.
Trible said he envisions a renovated library built with a lot of glass, giving it a “very transparent look.”
“When lit in the evening it would invite people to enter,” he said. “It will add a dramatic new look to the face of our campus and will powerfully transform and enrich the academic life of the university.”
Though Trible offered his ideas for the library, he plans next week to form a group of students, faculty and staff that will help “give definition” to the project.
Some already had ideas.
“I’d like to see more equipment for PowerPoint presentations,” freshman Elizabeth Schilling said.
She described Trible’s news as exciting, saying she looks forward to students having access to more computers.
The prospect of additional space was good news to student Matt Backens. He said it’s nearly impossible to find study space in the library, particularly during exam time. He welcomed the idea of more areas for groups to study together.
Jane Webb, a 25-year CNU faculty member, considered the bigger picture. When she came to CNU, she said, “this place had such potential.” And now she describes CNU as a quality university with top-notch students and faculty.
“Every time Paul brings something like this,” she said, “more people learn to respect us, for what we are.”
LIBRARY EXPANDS
CNU has received $1.1 million in federal money to design a modern library. It will cost about $10 million to expand and enhance CNU’s current facility.
Stephanie Barrett can be reached at 247-4740 or sbarrett@dailypress.com
