The new library at Penn State Harrisburg is the only academic
library in the country with a State Data Center presence.
This high-tech library opened its doors officially on Jan. 10.
The most technologically advanced library in central Pennsylvania opened to the campus and community Jan. 10 at Penn State Harrisburg.
The opening of the 115,000-square-foot, $17 million, three-story facility marks a major step in the transformation of the campus. A $17 million project to bring new student housing to the college is expected to begin later this year. Formal dedication ceremonies for the new library are being planned for March.
Rather than simply building a larger library, Penn State Harrisburg planned a 21st century facility that recognizes the parallel importance of print and electronic resources. This "Library of the Future," as campus officials call it, permits users to access books, journals, electronic databases and the Internet from 92 percent of its 664 general public and group study room seats. It offers a state-of-the-art library instruction lab for teaching information retrieval strategies and two technology-enhanced classrooms.
Users will find abundant areas for individual and group study. Approximately 180 high-end computers are available for research and instruction.
The new library provides access to a strong, ever-evolving set of print and electronic resources. Its collections of 263,000 books, more than 1,550 journals and 1.1 million microforms provide on-site support for academic programs. With access to more than 160 online and CD-ROM databases through University Libraries, the library provides extensive additional support to online and remote student users.
As the only academic library in the United States with a State Data Center presence, the new library permits broad access to Census data in addition to print and electronic resources. A wired art gallery provides a multifunctional environment for art exhibitions, receptions, speaker presentations and videoconferences. Seminar rooms with video ports provide locations for classes, meetings and interactive communication with off-site groups. A CyberCafe will provide a comfortable space for refreshments and data access.
The new library is the largest academic building erected on campus since Penn State Harrisburg's founding in 1966.