Regenstein Library
Encyclopedia
The Joseph Regenstein Library is the main library
of the University of Chicago
, named after industrialist and philanthropist Joseph Regenstein
. Holding over 7.9 million volumes, it is one of the largest repositories of books in the world, and is noted for its brutalist architecture
.
. In 1965, the Joseph Regenstein Foundation gave $10 million to the University for construction of the library. In 1968, the university broke ground and, in 1970, the library opened at the final cost of $20,750,000. The building was designed by the Chicago
firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill led by senior architect Walter Netsch
. It is built out of grooved limestone
, which, from a distance, resembles concrete. University tour guides often remark on the resemblance between each of the elements of the building's facade and the fore edge of a book. The outline of the building is in the shape of the continental United States, with the main entrance roughly between what would be Texas and Florida, from the Gulf of Mexico. Today, the "Reg" is the flagship institution of The University of Chicago Library system, which is considered among the top five in the world for breadth and depth of material, and receives high marks from users (The Princeton Review
placed it in the top nine for college students).
The building has five floors above ground and two basements. Each floor has a large reading room in the center with desks, group study rooms, lockers and shelved reference works. The reading room on floors two and three is connected by a small atrium. The reading rooms are separated from the stacks, located on the west side of the building, so that the stacks can be maintained at lower temperatures, which are more amicable to book conservation. 220 faculty studies line the east side of the building.
The Regenstein's overflowing collection posed space problems for the book stacks. In May 2005, the University of Chicago's Board of Trustees authorized funding for a $42 million dollar addition to the library, which was completed mid-2011. The Mansueto Library book depository, designed by Chicago-based architect Helmut Jahn
, consists of a glass-domed reading room, under which lies an automated shelving system stretching fifty feet underground. It will allow the library to maintain physical copies of materials available online while creating space within the book stacks to accommodate approximately 20 years of new print acquisitions.
The Regenstein Library is a popular social space for the University of Chicago
college students: "On our campus, it's not the football game that draws the biggest crowd, it's evening study in the library," said former Provost Richard Saller. "We're a campus where the library is sort of the social center because it is the focus [of the university]."
The Regenstein Library is also the location of the Special Collections Research Center
, which houses rare book collections, manuscripts, and university archives. The SCRC was established in 1953 by Herman H. Fussler
and was moved to the "Reg" when it opened in 1970. The rare books collection currently holds approximately 265,000 volumes.
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
of the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, named after industrialist and philanthropist Joseph Regenstein
Joseph Regenstein
Joseph Regenstein was an American industrialist whose philanthropy benefited the city of Chicago, especially the University of Chicago, where the Regenstein Library is named in his memory....
. Holding over 7.9 million volumes, it is one of the largest repositories of books in the world, and is noted for its brutalist architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
.
History
The library stands on the former grounds of Stagg FieldStagg Field
Amos Alonzo Stagg Field is the name of two different football fields for the University of Chicago. The earliest Stagg Field is probably best remembered for its role in a landmark scientific achievement by Enrico Fermi during the Manhattan Project. The site of the first nuclear reaction received...
. In 1965, the Joseph Regenstein Foundation gave $10 million to the University for construction of the library. In 1968, the university broke ground and, in 1970, the library opened at the final cost of $20,750,000. The building was designed by the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
firm Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill led by senior architect Walter Netsch
Walter Netsch
Walter Netsch was an American architect based in Chicago. He was most closely associated with the brutalist style of architecture, as well as the firm of Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill. His signature aesthetic is known as Field Theory and is based on rotating squares into complex shapes...
. It is built out of grooved limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, which, from a distance, resembles concrete. University tour guides often remark on the resemblance between each of the elements of the building's facade and the fore edge of a book. The outline of the building is in the shape of the continental United States, with the main entrance roughly between what would be Texas and Florida, from the Gulf of Mexico. Today, the "Reg" is the flagship institution of The University of Chicago Library system, which is considered among the top five in the world for breadth and depth of material, and receives high marks from users (The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review
The Princeton Review is an American-based standardized test preparation and admissions consulting company. The Princeton Review operates in 41 states and 22 countries across the globe. It offers test preparation for standardized aptitude tests such as the SAT and advice regarding college...
placed it in the top nine for college students).
The building has five floors above ground and two basements. Each floor has a large reading room in the center with desks, group study rooms, lockers and shelved reference works. The reading room on floors two and three is connected by a small atrium. The reading rooms are separated from the stacks, located on the west side of the building, so that the stacks can be maintained at lower temperatures, which are more amicable to book conservation. 220 faculty studies line the east side of the building.
The Regenstein's overflowing collection posed space problems for the book stacks. In May 2005, the University of Chicago's Board of Trustees authorized funding for a $42 million dollar addition to the library, which was completed mid-2011. The Mansueto Library book depository, designed by Chicago-based architect Helmut Jahn
Helmut Jahn
Helmut Jahn is a German-American architect, well known for designs such as the US$800 million Sony Center on the Potsdamer Platz, Berlin, the Messeturm in Frankfurt and the One Liberty Place, formerly the tallest building in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Suvarnabhumi Airport, an international...
, consists of a glass-domed reading room, under which lies an automated shelving system stretching fifty feet underground. It will allow the library to maintain physical copies of materials available online while creating space within the book stacks to accommodate approximately 20 years of new print acquisitions.
The Regenstein Library is a popular social space for the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
college students: "On our campus, it's not the football game that draws the biggest crowd, it's evening study in the library," said former Provost Richard Saller. "We're a campus where the library is sort of the social center because it is the focus [of the university]."
The Regenstein Library is also the location of the Special Collections Research Center
Special Collections Research Center
The name Special Collections Research Center can refer to archival repositories at a number of universities:*Special Collections Research Center, Earl Gregg Swem Library, College of William & Mary...
, which houses rare book collections, manuscripts, and university archives. The SCRC was established in 1953 by Herman H. Fussler
Herman H. Fussler
Herman Howe Fussler was an American librarian, library administrator, teacher, writer and editor, who was a pioneer in the use of microphotography. Fussler was ranked as number 36 out of 100, in the article “100 of the Most Important Leaders we had in the 20th Century” published by American...
and was moved to the "Reg" when it opened in 1970. The rare books collection currently holds approximately 265,000 volumes.
Figures
- Area: 577,085 gross feet2.
- Maximum east-west dimension: 344'.
- Maximum north-south dimension: 411'6".