For any SMU student, becoming a mustang means having an automatic understanding that boulevards are holidays, “pony up” is part of our everyday vocabulary, and Club Fondy is a student’s home away from home.
Fondren Library, or what SMU students like to call “Club Fondy,” will undergo mass renovations this August. In an effort to update the campus with SMU’s Second Century Campaign, families and alumnae recently donated a total of $8.5 million contributing to the $25 million already collected so far to refurbish both Bridwell and Fondren Libraries. With 2014 marking the 100th year of SMU’s first library, these generous gifts to upgrade the libraries have come at an appropriate time.
Starting the Fondren renovation project in January of 2013, contractors and SMU leaders designed what the future of Fondren will look like. In an effort to expand the use of technology and provide greater access to information, the plans include a grand reading room, café and browsing area, and information commons.
The construction will give Fondren a more modern flair, but also add sophistication and elegance, specifically with the new Fondren Centennial Reading Room. Instead of having multiple mid-sized areas for common studying, the Centennial Reading Room sits as the main center of the new library with high ceilings, dark wood, and a traditional English feel. There will also be more private study rooms and readily available technology for students to have unlimited access to.
Currently 268,000 square feet, Fondren holds 30 million print volumes in a wide variety of topics. Hoping to display more of SMU’s vast collections and promote students learning together, the project will bring an encouraged sense of education on campus.
Expected to finish the project in May of 2016, this two-year renovation is believed to be another addition of excellence to SMU along with the also new Residential Commons and Bush Library. President Gerald Turner expressed his enthusiasm for the renovations stating “we are grateful for [family and alumnae] support and for these gifts, which will help SMU libraries to meet evolving needs during the university’s second campaign.”
For more information about the Fondren Library renovation visit http://smu.edu/cul/info/renovation/.