MILLER F. WHITTAKER LIBRARY
South Carolina State University
Orangeburg, South Carolina
January 22, 2007  (rev.)

MAJOR LIBRARY NEEDS
          

About the Library

The Miller F. Whittaker Library was constructed in 1969 with the mezzanine addition in 1979.  Various print and electronic collections are housed in more than 47,500 square feet of space.  The library provides resources to meet the instructional and research needs of students and faculty.

A New and Renovated Library Building
 

The new library will be located in the approximate same location as the present facility, and will include approximately 74,500 square feet.   In the first phase, a wing of the library will be built in the existing adjacent south parking lot.  The second phase will consist of relocating the contents of the present library into the new wing and then demolish the existing library to make room for the new construction.

The three-story steel framed brick and glass structure will feature natural lighting from windows and an integrated skylight system.  The majority of the print collection will be housed on compact shelving, which requires less square footage than conventional shelving.  The new facility will house several state-of-the-art amenities, including a WiFi system allowing students the use of laptops throughout the facility. 

Some additional features include lounge and conventional seating for more than nine hundred fifty; classrooms for bibliographic instruction and lectures; a fifty seat computer commons area; meeting rooms, study rooms, and conference rooms of various sizes; a children’s room and curriculum lab; multimedia lab; and a café.  The facility has been carefully designed to meet newly adopted South Carolina State University (SCSU) architectural design criteria, academic needs and fit the learning style of SCSU students.

Once complete, the innovative facility will be a positive statement synonymous with the continued commitment and progress of South Carolina State University well into the 21^st century.    Goal: $22 million

Books and Periodicals Endowment Fund

To support the acquisition of current resources, e.g., books, journals and other scholarly information to meet the needs of researchers.   Goal: $500,000

Electronic Databases Endowment Fund

Access   to   the   library’s  web  databases (full-text journals, abstracts,  indexes, graphics,   etc.)   from   any  location   in   the   world   is a costly investment.   An endowment would  support  e-resources for curricula and users.  Goal: $500,000
 

Technology Endowment Fund

Plans for the new library facility include approximately  200  workstations  and  30  laptops.  An  endowment  fund  would  ensure  continuous  growth  in technology, training, and hardware and software maintenance and upgrades for students, faculty, and staff. Goal: $500,000


South Carolina State University Historical Collection (SCSUHC) Endowment Fund

A modern, user-friendly, environmentally controlled, and spacious archival area, will be housed in the James E. Clyburn University Transportation Center.  An endowment is needed to provide for the continuous acquisition of supplies and specialized equipment for document storage and retrieval of information; to enhance programming activities and to retain and hire qualified staff for the many archival collections that are available and those to be acquired from donors.  Goal: $500,000
 

If you would like to join us in our plans to achieve these goals, please contact South Carolina State University’s Office of Institutional Advancement, 803-536-8761.