The New Library on the Monroe Park Campus
The new Library on the Monroe Park Campus will give substance to the concept of a "collegiate community” at James Branch Cabell Library by creating a place that supports and encourages academic study, technology, collaboration, social learning and online learning.
The building program calls for work spaces with desktop computers, high-speed network connections and power outlets for laptop computers and mobile devices, individual and group study areas, online books, journals, data resources and reference materials, and robust capabilities for creating, editing and managing video, audio and mixed-media materials. Online course support and digital conferencing facilities will also be included.
The plan responds to the dire need for group and individual study spaces. Located on Shafer Court, the geographic and symbolic heart of campus, the addition to Cabell Library will be a student-centered environment envisioned as an inviting place for students to learn.
In the News
- Have your voices heard at Cabell Life Forum April 3
- UPDATE: Building the new library for VCU's future--Preliminary designs in the works focus on student spaces
- Board of Visitors OKs $3.2 million for design of new Monroe Park library
The Details
- 162,000 square feet project
- 82,000 square feet of new construction
- 80,000 square feet of improvements to the existing building
- $47.5 million total project cost
Then and Now
1975--James Branch Cabell Library completed and designed to serve 17,000 students, seat 2,000 students and house 1 million volumes.
2012--James Branch Cabell Library serves 32,000 students, seats 1,250, and houses 2 million volumes.
