For more than fifty-six years, D.H. Hill Library has served the research needs of students. The library itself, built in four stages, was an upgrade from Brooks Hall library, which was a replacement for a small, one floor library in Holladay Hall. However, plans are currently underway to not only continue renovations on D.H. Hill but to erect a new library on Centennial Campus.
A few months ago, the plans for the library were just that – plans. However, in January, state officials decided to fast-track the progress of 29 statewide construction projects in order to create more jobs and stimulate the economy. The Centennial Campus library, called the James B. Hunt Jr. Library, which will also house the Institute for Emerging Issues created by Hunt, just so happened to be one of these projects.
However, many students, like Callie Teague, a sophomore in math, oppose the project for the same reason the state decided to fast track it.
“When I first heard about it, I was kind of upset,” Teague said. “We have all this stuff going on on-campus right now, and we don’t need a library that costs that much.”
From a numerical standpoint, the library will cost approximately $126 million to build. The bulk of this money will come from the state, as this project will receive the largest chunk of the state appropriations for the 29 projects: $109 million.
When numbers like this are brought up, the thoughts of Teague are echoed among other members of the student body.
Joanne Wong, a junior in business management, agreed with Teague and said the funds being allocated for this project could be used more appropriately to address current problems that plague the campus and students of N.C. State, such as the budget cuts facing numerous departments.
“I think it’s important to think about how many students are going to actually use this library,” Wong said. “I feel that Centennial Campus is mainly for students in a specific major, unlike here at D.H. Hill. It’s important to think how many people are going to use it and how many people will benefit from it.”
Differing in opinion, however, is Carolyn Axtman, the architect and project manager for the project, who said the library will provide a significant amount of additional space for students.
“N.C. State is way below the student seating requirement that the UNC System has,” Axtman said. “We have been way under-seated for quite some time, so it’s critical that we be able to accommodate more students.”
In comparison to the other schools in the UNC System, NCSU sits at the bottom, with library seating for around 5 percent of the student population. The average for the system is around 20 percent.
“Right now, D.H. Hill Library is very heavily used, and really cannot accommodate all the students that would like to use it,” Axtman said.
According to Axtman, the new library would enable more students to utilize all the libraries can offer. She also said she believes Hunt Library will serve to complete Centennial Campus.
For years, the campus focused around innovative research has lacked a focal point. However, Axtman sais she believes Hunt Library will give Centennial Campus what it has been waiting for.
“I think that a library is always the heart of any campus,” Axtman said. “This building will provide a real gathering point for the campus. It’s going to be a place where not only students can converge, but also our corporate partners on Centennial Campus.”
And a focal point it will be. Enlisted to design this masterpiece will be the Norwegian firm of Snohetta that is known for its innovative creations—like the National Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center site.
The library will not only feature innovative design on the outside, but on the inside as well.
“Initially we were looking to build traditional stacks, similar to what’s in D.H. Hill,” Axtman said. “However, these take up a lot of space and a significant structural system to hold up the weight.”
So, this idea was nixed. Instead Hunt Library will feature an automated retrieval system.
Axtman described the system by likening it to “robots on tracks.”
“There are rows of bins that are on racks that go all the way up to the top and in the bins are books,” Axtman said. “The robots are computer-run, so books are scanned, put in the bin, and when a request for a book comes in, the computer tells the robot which bin to pull out.”
At that point, the bin is delivered to someone working at the service counter who will pull the requested book from the bin.
In comparison to searching book stacks, Teague said she thinks the idea of an automated retrieval system sounds great, but it still is not enough to sell her on the idea of a new library.
“I think it’s a cool idea, but with the economic crisis that many Americans are dealing with, why not cut back on things like that?” Teague said.
