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David L. Rice Library |
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The new library is named after David L. Rice, the University’s founding president, who served as its chief executive officer from 1967 until his retirement in 1994. Now the tallest building on campus, the library is the focal point of a four-building campus quadrangle, bordered by the library on the east side, the Liberal Arts Center to the west, the University Center on the north, and a future Business and Classroom Building on the south side of the quad. The University of Southern Indiana’s 300 acre site is located on the west side of Evansville, Indiana. The 158,000 square foot structure is comprised of a lower level with classrooms and a high-tech 125-seat auditorium, multi-level above ground floors housing bookstacks, archives, computer labs, study carrels, reading rooms, and a coffee shop. The exterior of the building contains an Indiana limestone base of varying heights with complementary oversized brick walls and limestone architectural accents. The main entrance is a four-story rotunda highlighted by a carved Indiana limestone panel depicting objects representing university life in relief form. The back of the building gently curves in a hemispherical shape from the north end of the building to its south. Spacious windows throughout the library and glass wall partitions allow natural sunlight into numerous reading and study areas, affording an open feel to the library. Groundbreaking for the $27.5 million library was held on June 1, 2004. Construction was finished in late May 2006, after which the library’s 335,000 volumes plus media items, microform and archival materials were transferred. The grand opening of this greatly diversified and very functional facility was on July 23, 2006. |
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