Mansueto Reading Room Opens to the Public

The Mansueto Library officially opened its cutting-edge facilities for preservation and digitization of physical books this week. Designed by Helmut Jahn, the library’s high-density underground storage system has the capacity to hold 3.5 million volume equivalents. The new library is designed to fulfill scholars’ needs for easy access to print resources, at a time when many other research universities are moving collections to off-site storage. With its prime location on campus and innovative design, the Mansueto Library provides an inviting and up-to-date space for rigorous scholarship in an array of fields.

The library was named after Joe Mansueto, BA’78 and MBA’80, and Rika Yoshida, AB’91, who gave a $25 million gift to the University in May 2008.

Fox Chicago News claimed the library “looks like something from out of this world” while the Sun-Times proclaimed that “the sky is the limit.” Wired.com also featured an article on its website about the robotic retrieval and the New Yorker magazine included a link in its Books blog. Read about the new Mansueto library on the library on the University New’s site here and the Library’s news site here.