Illinois Wesleyan University Completes Ames Library

Illinois Wesleyan University (IWU) in Bloomington has recently completed the 103,000-sf Ames Library designed by Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott (SBRA). Felmley-Dickerson Co. of Bloomington was the contractor for the five-story library, which provides a centerpiece for social and academic interaction, collaborative study and reflection. The library also establishes a new focal point for the campus. The two-story, first floor rotunda, a gallery for the university's collection of Southwest Native American pottery, opens onto an Information Commons that includes a 48-seat information technology center and a 28-seat computer teaching lab. The lower level combines a 75-seat, multi-media teaching auditorium, and the second level includes a 40-seat, state-of-the-art media center with group study rooms and individual carrels. The third floor houses the university's music and performing arts media collection, and the fourth level opens dramatically into the spacious Great Reading Room, a comfortable and inviting space for users to explore the university's rare book archive or attend poetry readings and lectures. The building houses more than 400,000 volumes, integrating books, periodicals and electronic media.