Contact:
David Hiscoe, NCSU Libraries, (919) 513-3425
(Raleigh, N.C.)—North Carolina State University officials today broke ground on a new state-of-the-art library for its Centennial Campus that, through its innovative design and technological sophistication, will set the standard for 21st century academic and research libraries. According to Susan Nutter, vice provost and director of the NCSU Libraries, the new
James B. Hunt Jr. Library— named for the former North Carolina governor—“seeks nothing less than to create the best learning and collaborative space in the country.”
The 1,334-acre Centennial Campus serves as NC State’s research park and is home to more than 120 government, industry, and university partners who work collaboratively to drive growth in North Carolina and to work on some of the planet’s most pressing problems. The campus was named outstanding research park by the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) in 2007.
The Hunt Library will be a signature building that will serve as the intellectual and social heart of the rapidly growing population on the Centennial Campus, embodying the essence of the research park as a community built around knowledge. Anchoring the Centennial Campus' academic oval, the new library will embody the spirit of NC State's competitive advantage in science and technology and will be a major factor in attracting and retaining the best faculty, students, and corporate partners.
The Hunt Library will also begin to provide a much-needed solution for the shortage of study seating at the university. The NCSU Libraries can currently seat less than 5% of NC State students at a time when use of the Libraries is growing dramatically. In April 2008, for example, the Libraries averaged over 16,000 visits a day; visits increased by 42% in the last academic year alone. The UNC system standard is to provide study seating for 20% of students. The Hunt Library will double the NCSU Libraries' available study seats.
The library, located in the center of much of NC State’s engineering, textiles, science, and technology expertise, will also continue to enhance the NCSU Libraries’ role as technology incubator on campus. The NCSU Libraries has made its mark by providing generations of students and faculty with access to the latest technology. From its iconic design to the latest in computing and collaboration tools, the Hunt Library will prepare students to lead and support cutting-edge research in a technology-driven economy.
The Hunt Library will contain an automated book-retrieval system–allowing space and budget normally consumed by book “stacks” to be used for learning spaces and technologies to assist students.
"We are absolutely thrilled that the university is going to have one of the finest academic and research libraries anywhere in the world,” adds Nutter. “This building will mark the beginning of a new era in learning and collaboration at NC State University.”
Pearce Brinkley Cease + Lee Architecture (PBC+L), a North Carolina architectural firm that specializes in academic and cultural arts projects with an emphasis on higher education, will serve as architects for Hunt Library. Snøhetta, the designers for the National September 11 Memorial and Museum, will serve as lead designers. Snøhetta was recently awarded the 2009 Mies van der Rohe Prize, Europe’s most prestigious award for architectural excellence.
Construction is expected to be complete in 2012.
Students at North Carolina State University will no longer have to crank up their laptops while browsing the stacks if they have copied a wrong catalog number. Or tromp down nine flights of steps to check how long the line is at the library café. The NC State Libraries has continued its pioneering work in 21st century digital libraries by launching 
Dr. Marcia Thibeault--vet, professor, and author of I Make Horse Calls and More Horse Calls--will read from her latest book at D. H. Hill on Friday, November 13.
Traveling to Taiwan embodied a lot of "firsts" for me. The first time I lived a not easily traverse-able distance from anyone that I know. It was my first time I had to hunt for a job and an apartment completely on my own. My first time filing taxes, immigration papers, or figuring out a bus or train route. Not that any of these things are particularly remarkable, but doing them all in a language I barely had a handle on has set my self-confidence dial to maximum. It's hard to put a finger on exactly what made the experience so awesome. I had never lived in a big city before, or not relied on a car whatsoever. Every face was a fresh one.
