Contents
Cal Poly Pomona

About the Project

Libraries In The 21st Century

CAL POLY POMONA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY - - THE NEXT CHAPTER
Major Renovation and Addition Planned for University Library

In an era of rapid technological and educational change, it’s essential that a university library remain on the cutting-edge as a provider of information and research tools. And, with the passage of last November’s Proposition 47, California voters agreed that the future of this state rests in the quality of its education system.

For Cal Poly Pomona, Proposition 47 will help fund a $33 million-plus facelift earmarked for the University Library, recognized by many as the intellectual heart of the campus.  Housing a collection exceeding 3 million items, the University Library was originally constructed in two phases.  The four lower floors were finished in 1968, and the upper two floors were completed in 1989 to create a combined 205,000 square feet of floor space.  The current library project also consists of two phases. Phase I will feature the addition of 100,922 gross square feet of “people space” and renovation of 91,092 GSF that will accommodate increasing enrollment.

This space—which will come from the enclosure of the ground floor overhang and expansion of the building’s east and west sides—will include classrooms and other areas to support new technological applications of library research. Phase II will include renovation of the upper three floors of the existing Library building by updating the overall environment and use of existing space. It will correct significant building deterioration conditions in the outdated facility — asbestos, heating, air conditioning and plumbing systems. Wiring for state-of-the-art computing and telecommunications technology and improvements in Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) access are also planned in this phase. The new library will feature an indoor/outdoor café, as well as wireless laptop computers, allowing members of the campus community to interact, both in person and virtually.

The 100,922 GSF Library addition will complement the existing six-story building, as well as overall campus master planning. As the focal point on campus and the primary resource of research for the campus community, the Library and the addition relate to the University’s planned Olive Lane pedestrian walkway, and will also serve as the gateway to the campus’ future cultural corridor.

Another aspect of the project will be to reorient the building to better position itself along the university’s “cultural spine”. The library’s main entrance will be moved to the ground floor facing the University Park, with an atrium in the first floor that will create an area for people to walk through the library as opposed to around it.

Carrier Johnson Architects and Rudolph & Sletten construction management company have been selected for the expansion/renovation of the Cal Poly Pomona University Library building.  Carrier Johnson and Rudolph & Sletten have more than 60 years of combined experience in the field, and have partnered as a project team in the past on the UC San Diego Donald P. Shiley Center for Science & Technology, and the award winning UC San Diego Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice.

Construction is expected to begin Winter 2006 with an anticipated completion date of Spring 2008.