". . . the Library's first-floor lobby is sure to become a major campus hangout."
Numbered among UC Merced's first academic buildings-and located at the center of campus-the Kolligian Library building will provide space for more than just reading and studying.
With its café, bookstore, and inviting seating, the Library's first-floor lobby is sure to become a major campus hangout. Innovative "garage door" walls allow the lobby to be transformed into semi-outdoor space on fair-weather days. The first floor will also house the offices of student services, student government, student activities, and the university cashier.
Much of the second, third, and fourth floors will look like traditional library space. Classic library tables, carrels, and chairs-supplemented by miscellaneous groupings of soft seating-will provide lots of room for individual study among the stacks. However, library users will also find high-tech study rooms, radio-frequency-based self-checkout stations, and dynamic electronic signage that can
display anything from floor plans to artwork.
Instead of finding the rows of desktop computers that have become commonplace in academic libraries, UC Merced students, faculty, and staff will be able to check out laptop computers from the second-floor circulation desk and sit wherever they please. The building will offer abundant network drops for laptop users as well as a pervasive wireless network.
The west wing of the building will house the office of the Chancellor and Vice Chancellors, a formal conference room for high-level university meetings, and several innovative instructional spaces. The Library's own innovative classroom--The Gonella
Discovery Room--will be located on the second floor of the east wing. Faculty will be able to bring their classes to the Discovery Room for instruction from UC Merced librarians, but librarians will also use the teleconferencing capabilities of this room to make virtual appearances in classrooms across the campus.
Two reading rooms are worthy of special note. With its low-rise bookcases, recreational-reading collection, and slightly off-center decor, the as-yet-unnamed third-floor reading room will feel a bit more Barnes & Noble than Bodleian.
Never fear. The entire building is not slated to become an academic rumpus room. Anyone who seeks a place for quiet study or contemplation need only visit the fourth-floor's McFadden-Willis Reading Room. Elegant and traditional, McFadden-Wilis will provide an oasis of calm and quiet on our rambunctious young campus.
R. Bruce Miller, UC Merced Founding University Librarian
University Librarian R. Bruce Miller loves his job. "I watched UC San Diego and its library grow to greatness. Having personally known Mel Voigt, the UCSD Founding University Librarian, and seeing firsthand the impact of his vision, I jumped at the chance to do the same at UC Merced."
The University Librarian has many roles. In the last three
years, Miller has helped design the Kolligian Library, hired staff, selected library systems, specified technology, acquired books, worked with donors, and spearheaded a successful grant application.
His assessment of the University and Merced: "Challenge, inspiration, fun. It's all here. Excellent hot rods and good strawberries, too."
Contact Information:
209.724.4443 bmiller@ucmerced.edu
About R Bruce Miller: Doctoral study, Information Science,1976-77--UT Austin
M.L.S., 1975--UT Austin
Russian Studies, 1970-71--UT Austin
B.A., Psychology, 1968--UT Arlington