|
Scheduled to be occupied in 2008, Jefferson Hall, the new USMA Library and Learning Center will occupy a prominent space directly opposite the present library. This new facility will contain 148,000 square feet and will be home to the Center for Enhanced Performance, the Center for Teaching Excellence, and the Library.
After the relocation of the Library to Jefferson Hall, the upper floors of building 757 will be renovated to support Chemistry and Physics instruction with new classrooms and labs. The first floor and basement of building 757 will continue to support research into the Academy Archives and Special Collections of the Library.
Jefferson Hall is the first new academic building to appear in the central area since 1972 when Mahan Hall was constructed. Though it is often referred to as the Library, Jefferson Hall will combine the Center for Enhanced Performance (CEP), the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE), and the Cadet Library. These three activities, now located in disparate parts of the central area, have in common the mission of reinforcing the teaching and learning that takes place at West Point.
Professionals from these three areas will be able to enjoy the synergy created by working under one roof. Partnerships such as the cooperative teaching arrangement between the CEP and library staff for the RS103 course are more likely to be spawned when educational professionals can interact on a daily basis.
The building’s design recognizes that learning today takes place in an affiliative atmosphere. With that in mind, Jefferson Hall will have ten separate areas where cadets can work with each other and with faculty in a group environment. Wireless connectivity will permit cadets to access information services and Reference Librarians from anywhere in the building. Chat reference service is planned to be introduced so that cadets and faculty will be able to communicate with reference librarians from any floor in the Jefferson Hall.
In spite of the proliferation of on line information services that have become essential to modern research techniques, books printed on paper continue to be in great demand in the undergraduate learning experience. Our book collections will have plenty of room to grow with room for close to a million volumes at full capacity.
Excavation in preparation for building has begun and the central area will be alive with construction activity for the next two years. This new building is a historic expansion to the central area that will change the appearance of the Academy. While we watch Jefferson Hall being constructed in the next two years, we’ll be paying close attention to the details that will make this a spectacular space for learning at West Point.
|
