The 70,000-square-foot facility roughly doubles the space available for the library's collection, said law library director Robin Mills. Seating has increased from 325 to about 450, which includes a combination of 135 oversized study carrels, extra large tables and conveniently located lounge areas so that students can spread out with their legal materials, she said. The building also features five conference rooms, a perfect spot for student study groups to meet.
The most promising feature of the Macmillan Law Library, however, won't be found in study rooms or stacks but in the state-of-the-art technology offered for legal research. The library boasts an electronic classroom with 10 soon-to-arrive Pentium computers that will be used to train students for the rigors of electronic research on Westlaw and LEXIS. Each study carrel will have Ethernet lines so that users with laptops can plug into the Internet, do legal research, or check their e-mail.
"In planning the building we focused on people's needs," said Mills. The reference desk occupies a prominent place at the library's entrance, she said, "so that people coming in can get help right away, not have to hunt down a reference librarian." The library has two fast elevators to speed traffic flow, and lots of natural light.
Although the new library has enough space to double the library's volumes, that process probably will be gradual, according to Mills. "The watchword for libraries today is `access,' not `ownership.' That's why we're emphasizing technology, the ability to get to and use these materials, even if they're not housed in the building."
So far, the library is a big hit with students, said Tiffani Greene, Student Bar Association president. She called the facility "a blessing," and added that she hasn't been the only one to notice that more students than ever before are using the library throughout the day.
That reaction wouldn't surprise Hugh MacMillan, who donated $2.3 million toward the library's cost and stayed involved with the project throughout its year-long construction. He visited the site often, even occupying an office in Gambrell Hall overlooking the site and talking with faculty, staff and students throughout the process. "He had a great time," said Dean Howard Hunter. "I've never seen anyone gain more pleasure from giving. That was wonderful to see."
-- Elaine Justice