William T. Young Library
Encyclopedia
The William T. Young Library, located on the campus of the University of Kentucky
in Lexington
, is named for William T. Young
, a prominent local businessman, horse breeder, philanthropist and alumnus of the university, who began fund raising efforts with a donation of $5 million. The facility serves as a central library for the university's social sciences, humanities and life sciences collections and acts as a federal depository
and a public library for the state of Kentucky. It holds the record amongst public universities in the nation for the largest book endowment.
, urged the state of Kentucky to fund a research library yearly between 1975 and 1989. This came after an addition to the Margaret I. King Library was completed, however, funding for the new library never materialized due to budget cuts from the state.
In 1990, then-President Charles Wethington pledged to the faculty and students that building a new library would be "top priority." He was met with much resistance from state leaders; however, the University initiated a massive fund-raising campaign 1991. The top donor who kick started the project was Lexington businessman and horse breeder William T. Young
who gave $5 million; the University would later raise $21.5 million.
In 1992, the University received state approval to spend $12 million on design and site preparation; however, the General Assembly in 1994 did not approve the capital project. In order to start the project, Wethington established an unusual funding method: the city of Lexington would sell $41 million in bonds, and the proceeds would go to the University of Kentucky Alumni Association and Athletic Association, a semi-independent organization that would become the owner and builder of the library. The annual debt service on the library bonds is currently being paid from $3.2 million it receives annually from the Athletics Association.
In 1994, construction began on the new library, which was named after William T. Young, the first large donor to the project. The site's location was a "high spot between two sinkholes," which required the burying of 202 steel-reinforced concrete caissons into the soil to prevent the structure from sinking or tilting.
The library was dedicated on April 3, 1998 at a cost of $58 million, the largest university project ever constructed. The deed at the ceremony was handed over from the Alumni Association to the university.
, to move 1.2 million volumes from four locations. The move took eight weeks to complete beginning on May 11, 1998 at a cost of $500,000; 74 part-time laborers were involved at a cost of 34,560 person-hours. During this time, all books were kept in circulation and if a student were to request a volume, it would be accessible "within twenty-four hours." Adding onto the complications was the fact that 700,000 of the existing volumes had to be converted from the antiquated Dewey decimal system to the Library of Congress Classification
system.
When it was constructed, it was the only library in the country to house all of its volumes on mobile compact shelves which are controlled by the push of a button. This innovative method of storing thousands of books in a relatively small amount of space freed room for work spaces, study halls and reading rooms.
The lobby features Treuchtlingen marble mined from southern Germany
. The layout of the interior is reminiscent of a "building within a building" concept , with a center atrium that houses the administration area on the first floor and reading rooms on the second and fifth floors. The rotunda is surrounded by skylights that give natural light into the central atrium, and features a chandelier that weighs 3700 lb (1,678.3 kg). The 350000 sq ft (32,516.1 m²) building has six elevators and all floors are fully handicap accessible
.
A 150-seat auditorium is located at the University Drive entrance and Ovid's Cafe and Starbucks are located on the east wing of the building.
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
in Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, is named for William T. Young
William T. Young
William T. Young was an American businessman and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses.William T. Young attended the University of Kentucky where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Young graduated with high distinction in 1939 with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical...
, a prominent local businessman, horse breeder, philanthropist and alumnus of the university, who began fund raising efforts with a donation of $5 million. The facility serves as a central library for the university's social sciences, humanities and life sciences collections and acts as a federal depository
Federal depository library
The Federal Depository Library Program is a United States program created to make U.S. federal government publications available to the public at no cost. As of June 2008, there are 1,252 depository libraries in the United States and its territories. A "government publication" is defined in the U.S...
and a public library for the state of Kentucky. It holds the record amongst public universities in the nation for the largest book endowment.
History
The history of the library dates back to the mid-1970s, when then University President Otis A. Singletary and successor David RoselleDavid Roselle
David Paul Roselle is an American mathematician and academic administrator who served as the ninth President of the University of Kentucky and the 25th President of the University of Delaware.-Early life and family:...
, urged the state of Kentucky to fund a research library yearly between 1975 and 1989. This came after an addition to the Margaret I. King Library was completed, however, funding for the new library never materialized due to budget cuts from the state.
In 1990, then-President Charles Wethington pledged to the faculty and students that building a new library would be "top priority." He was met with much resistance from state leaders; however, the University initiated a massive fund-raising campaign 1991. The top donor who kick started the project was Lexington businessman and horse breeder William T. Young
William T. Young
William T. Young was an American businessman and major owner of thoroughbred racehorses.William T. Young attended the University of Kentucky where he was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. Young graduated with high distinction in 1939 with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical...
who gave $5 million; the University would later raise $21.5 million.
In 1994, construction began on the new library, which was named after William T. Young, the first large donor to the project. The site's location was a "high spot between two sinkholes," which required the burying of 202 steel-reinforced concrete caissons into the soil to prevent the structure from sinking or tilting.
The library was dedicated on April 3, 1998 at a cost of $58 million, the largest university project ever constructed. The deed at the ceremony was handed over from the Alumni Association to the university.
Relocation of Library Media
Moving the books from the former Margaret I. King Library to the new William T. Young Library was not an easy task. If stretched out from end-to-end, the amount of books in the old library would snake from [Lexington to St. Louis]. The University hired William B. Meyer, part of United Van LinesUnited Van Lines
United Van Lines is a full-service American moving and relocation company and a subsidiary of UniGroup, Inc. and is the largest mover in the United States.The concept which evolved into United Van Lines originated in 1928 when Return Loads Service, Inc...
, to move 1.2 million volumes from four locations. The move took eight weeks to complete beginning on May 11, 1998 at a cost of $500,000; 74 part-time laborers were involved at a cost of 34,560 person-hours. During this time, all books were kept in circulation and if a student were to request a volume, it would be accessible "within twenty-four hours." Adding onto the complications was the fact that 700,000 of the existing volumes had to be converted from the antiquated Dewey decimal system to the Library of Congress Classification
Library of Congress Classification
The Library of Congress Classification is a system of library classification developed by the Library of Congress. It is used by most research and academic libraries in the U.S. and several other countries; for example, Australia and Taiwan, R.O.C. It is not to be confused with the Library of...
system.
Exterior
The library was designed by Kallmann McKinnell & Wood Architects, Inc. of Boston, in association with Nolan and Nolan of Louisville, and the construction cost was $58 million. Its exterior features a unique octagonal shape, two-story brick-and-stone arcades on each facade and two-story windows.Interior
The six-story library contains over 1.2 million volumes and can seat over 4,000 patrons ; 3,000 of these seats are in open-floor plan regions, with the remainder located in group study rooms. Each seat is equipped or is adjacent to a computer data jack . Initially, there were 600 desktop computers available, three times as many as was in the former Margaret I. King Library, and 40 laptop computers, half of which were wireless utilizing cellular phone access cards.When it was constructed, it was the only library in the country to house all of its volumes on mobile compact shelves which are controlled by the push of a button. This innovative method of storing thousands of books in a relatively small amount of space freed room for work spaces, study halls and reading rooms.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The layout of the interior is reminiscent of a "building within a building" concept , with a center atrium that houses the administration area on the first floor and reading rooms on the second and fifth floors. The rotunda is surrounded by skylights that give natural light into the central atrium, and features a chandelier that weighs 3700 lb (1,678.3 kg). The 350000 sq ft (32,516.1 m²) building has six elevators and all floors are fully handicap accessible
Accessibility
Accessibility is a general term used to describe the degree to which a product, device, service, or environment is available to as many people as possible. Accessibility can be viewed as the "ability to access" and benefit from some system or entity...
.
A 150-seat auditorium is located at the University Drive entrance and Ovid's Cafe and Starbucks are located on the east wing of the building.
See also
- Buildings at the University of KentuckyBuildings at the University of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky is home to many notable structures, including three high-rises. Major construction projects are underway or are being planned that includes a new hospital, School of Pharmacy building, and several new college structures.By floor count and height...
- Cityscape of Lexington, KentuckyCityscape of Lexington, KentuckyThe urban development patterns of Lexington, Kentucky, confined within an urban growth boundary that protects its famed horse farms, include greenbelts and expanses of land between it and the surrounding towns. This has been done to preserve the region's horse farms and the unique Bluegrass...
- University of KentuckyUniversity of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...