For students who spend most of their time on Centennial Campus, a potential aid is coming in the form of a new library. However, this library will be a dramatic change from D.H. Hill Library. The James B. Hunt Jr. Library is a Norwegian-designed structure with a sleek style and a new system of retrieving books.
Hunt Library is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2012, but the University has not yet announced an official opening date. Susan Nutter, vice provost and director of libraries at N.C. State said the construction will be completed on time.
In addition to the modern design, this library will feature a new system of book retrieval. Patrons will use an Automated Book Delivery System to acquire books from the library’s collection of up to two million volumes. According to the library website, this method of storage and retrieval allows the library to hold nine times the amount of books as a regular library of the same size.
An estimated 715,000 books will move from D.H. Hill to the Hunt Library in order to make space for future improvements in D.H. Hill. When Hunt Library opens, it should contain 1.3 million volumes.
“D.H. Hill is absolutely full,” Nutter said. “We will be taking books out of D.H. Hill to make space.”
While books in Hunt Library will be primarily available through the ABDS, patron accessible shelving will still be present.
“[About] 40,000 will be on the open shelves,” Nutter said. The shelved books will primarily consist of the newest titles in the collection.
Danielle Groover, a senior in mechanical engineering said she looks forward to the new system.
“It will eliminate having to go find the book and potentially getting lost in the stacks,” Groover said. “It will also be a good time saver.”
Students wanting to browse the books in the ABDS can access a virtual browse feature that allows students to see the entire collection of books in Hunt online. Nutter hopes this feature will eventually include all of the libraries on campus as well as other libraries students can access, such as those at UNC and Duke.
While Hunt Library will not be as spacious as D.H. Hill, the ABDS drastically improves the structure’s versatility.
“The space is used much more effectively in Hunt,” Nutter said. “A lot of spaces in D.H. Hill are hard to get to.”
With all the space saved by using the ABDS, more seating will be available to students. The finished building will be five stories high and will overlook Centennial Campus. There will also be outdoor reading rooms, including one overlooking Lake Raleigh.
About 100 study rooms will be available for students to reserve. Nutter hopes to add “garage spaces” where students can work on long-term projects and store their work.
The University chose the Norwegian-based architecture and landscaping company, Snøhetta, as the lead designer of the Hunt Library primarily due to their focus on aesthetics. Nutter said approximately a one-third of the team were landscape architects
“Really, a key element of our decision was to have the landscape look nice,” Nutter said.
The budget for the Hunt Library was originally $126 million, but was decreased to about $115 million in 2009 when the recession hit. This decrease did not cause a setback for the designers, who Nutter said kept the process under control.
“The budget was always a critical issue,” Nutter said. “They were realistic from the beginning. These are the best architects I have ever worked with.”
The budget for the Hunt Library is all from appropriated money.
“Nothing will come from the students,” Nutter said.
Due to some technology projects not being covered by the budget, the University’s Libraries will do some fundraising to cover the additional costs. According to the library’s website, Hunt will have large video walls, technology-enabled furniture and greater internet bandwidth.
The Hunt Library will also include a small cafe and areas designated for gaming. Groover said she hopes Hunt has a good place to eat, “because Centennial is severely lacking in food options.”
