Sunday, July 26, 2009

Expansion at UWM's Golda Meir Library Emphasizes Open-Study Concept

Link to July 24 Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article, "UWM library expands to provide students with more open environment".

Excerpt: The school is putting finishing touches on the new Daniel M. Soref Learning Commons, set to open Aug. 24. The project is funded by $3.5 million in state-supported borrowing and a $1.75 million gift from the Milwaukee-based Daniel M. Soref Charitable Trust.

From study nooks that look like restaurant booths to an expanded café, the building's renovated West Wing aims to update the staid library into an open, inviting space that accommodates the way today's students study - in groups and on the Internet.

And it's bigger - after relocating several staffers who don't work directly with students to the second floor and dispersing the reference collection, the Commons has also added usable space, from 18,500 to 32,500 square feet. Instead of accommodating about 130 students, the area will now hold about 400.

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