The University of Chicago is grateful to Joe and Rika Mansueto for their generous gift. We now invite alumni and other friends to support the first and most significant library capital project in two decades, the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library. Every gift, great or small, will contribute to the preservation of knowledge and assure that scholarly information, books and other library resources remain available and accessible to students, faculty, researchers and scholars.
The Library Development Office would be privileged to work with you to explore ways in which specific giving opportunities match your interests. Gifts of $25,000 and above may be pledged over multiple years and will be honored with prominent recognition on the donor wall within the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library.
To learn more about ways to give, please contact:
| Judy Lindsey, Director of Development jlindsey@uchicago.edu (773) 834-3744 |
or | The Library Development Office libdev@lib.uchicago.edu |
The 8,000 square foot Grand Reading Room will enjoy a prominent position under a striking glass dome that will serve as the roof and walls of the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library, designed by world renowned architect Helmut Jahn. With seating capacity for 150, the Grand Reading Room will include comfortable work space for faculty, students, and visiting scholars using the collections and also have enclosed faculty studies.
The Library's capacity to preserve its rich collections will be greatly expanded in the new 6,000 square foot Preservation Department. The department will have space and equipment for essential preservation functions including conservation treatment and digital reformatting of library materials, both of which are essential for preserving books and other scholarly resources into the future.
The Conservation Laboratory within the Preservation Department will be dedicated to conserving library materials in their original form. Within space equipped with special paper washing sinks, fume hoods for chemical treatments, bookbinding equipment and flexible workstations, staff will carry out the work of conserving the original artifacts. This laboratory will support expanded care for all of the Library's collections and add new capabilities to undertake complex treatments that are required for rare books and special collections.
The Digital Technology Laboratory will be located adjacent to the Conservation Laboratory within the Preservation Department. It will be equipped with large-format digital cameras capable of creating high-resolution digital images of the Library's unique book and paper collections. Workstations will provide adequate space for the inspection, preparation and quality control of newly created digital objects that preserve the content of library materials that are too fragile for traditional conservation treatment or would suffer accelerated deterioration from excessive handling.
The Circulation Service Center is essential to users of the collections. Located next to the Grand Reading Room in the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library it will be the key service point. Library users will go to the Circulation Service Center to obtain materials that they have requested from the climate-controlled, underground automated storage and retrieval system. In addition, Library staff will be available to provide information and assistance.
The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library offers opportunities for many to participate in this exciting initiative to support research and teaching at this great University. To learn more about making a gift commitment, please contact Judy Lindsey, Director of Development, at jlindsey@uchicago.edu or (773) 834-3744, or the Library Development Office at libdev@lib.uchicago.edu.
