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Georgia Tech Library

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Coordinates: 33°46′27″N 84°23′44″W / 33.7743°N 84.3956°W / 33.7743; -84.3956
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Georgia Tech Library
Crosland Tower at night
Map
LocationGeorgia Tech in Atlanta, Georgia
TypeAcademic library
Established1885
Collection
Items collected2.4 million[1]
Other information
DirectorLeslie Sharp[2]
Dean of Libraries
Websitelibrary.gatech.edu

The Georgia Tech Library is an academic library that serves the needs of students, faculty, and staff at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The library consists of the S. Price Gilbert Memorial Library and Dorothy M. Crosland Tower. In addition, the library is connected to and manages the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons.

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) recognized the library's effort to reinvent itself by awarding it a 2007 Excellence in Academic Libraries Award.[3][4][5] The Georgia Tech Library is located in the center of campus[6] and is open 24/7 as of the Fall term of 2014.[7] Among the Library staff members are subject specialists in 35 disciplines.[8]

Dr. Leslie Sharp serves as dean of the Georgia Tech Library.[9] She began her tenure as Dean July 1, 2020 after serving as interim chief executive officer for the Library since March 2019, a role she shared with her duties as associate vice provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development.[10]

Crosland Tower in 2019 following renovations

History

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Judge Sterling Price Gilbert donated a large sum of Coca-Cola stock to Georgia Tech with the stipulation that the proceeds be used to construct a new library. He later donated more funds to the cause. Ground was broken for the S. Price Gilbert Memorial Library on July 5, 1951, and the building was dedicated on November 21, 1953.[11] The Graduate Addition to the library was opened in 1969, and was renamed Crosland Tower in 1985.[12]

Dorothy M. Crosland was the long-time head librarian; initially appointed as Assistant Librarian in 1925, she was promoted to Librarian in 1927 and Director of Libraries in 1953, a title she would hold until her retirement in 1971.[13][14][15]

Paul M. Heffernan, then a professor in the Georgia Tech School of Architecture, was the lead designer on the S. Price Gilbert Library.[16]

In 2017 a large-scale renovation project began with Crosland Tower to modernize it, opening up the space inside and changing the veneer to more curtainwall instead of solid brick to allow more natural light into the building and upgrade the finishes & MEP systems. The Crosland project was finished prior to the start of the spring 2019 semester. Following its opening, a renovation project began on the S. Price Gilbert Library. The total renovation was completed in spring 2020, and the library opened in full for fall semester 2020.[17]

Collections

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The library’s collections include over 2.4 million books, bound periodicals and serials, including about 900,000 government documents, 2.7 million technical reports, over 197,000 cartographic materials, more than 240 online databases, over 29,000 electronic books and 39,000 e-journals.[18]

The Archives and Special Collections department preserves and provides access to the history of Georgia Tech,[19] and includes over 4300 rare books emphasizing the history of science and technology, a 4000-volume science fiction collection,[20] photographic collections,[21] and approximately 1000 manuscript collections.

In 2015,[22] the library moved 99% of its print collections to an off-site service center as part of a partnership with Emory University.[23] This Library Service Center was opened and dedicated in 2016.[24] Plans to move the "core collection" of roughly 30,000 volumes representing the fields of study offered at Georgia Tech back into the building were delayed due to Covid-19.[25]

Services

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Innovation and Ideation Studio
Innovation and Ideation Studio
Seventh Floor Reading Room
Seventh Floor Reading Room

Upon completion of the renovations in fall 2020, the Georgia Tech Library brought students a range of new services and spaces. These include:

  • Collaborative and quiet study spaces throughout the building, including reading rooms on the Grove Level and sixth and seventh floors of Crosland Tower, and first and third floors of Price Gilbert.[26]
  • The Science Fiction Lounge[27] on the first floor of Crosland Tower featuring circulating items from the Bud Foote Science Fiction Collection.
  • The Archives Reading Room on the first floor of Crosland Tower.[28]
  • The Innovation and Ideation Studio on the second floor of Crosland Tower,[29] which includes a Library classroom.[30]
  • The Media Scholarship Commons on the third floor of Price Gilbert.[31]
  • The Data Visualization Studio[32] and retroTECH lab[33] on the third floor of Crosland Tower.
  • The Faculty Research Zone, including a Teaching Studio, on fourth floor of Price Gilbert.[34]
  • The Graduate Student Community on the sixth floor of Crosland Tower.[35]
  • Computing clusters in both buildings and Clough.[36]

In addition to the new spaces, the Georgia Tech Library offers a hundreds of events, classes, lectures and workshops yearly for students, faculty and the campus community.[37] All are free and serve to supplement the Institute's curriculum.

References

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  1. ^ "About the Library". Georgia Tech Library. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  2. ^ "Welcome Dean Leslie Sharp to the Library". Georgia Tech Library. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  3. ^ "ACRL Excellence in Academic Libraries winners announced". American Library Association. January 30, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  4. ^ Pon, Corbin (February 16, 2007). "Tech wins Library of Excellence award". The Technique. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  5. ^ "The Georgia Institute of Technology Library and Information Center would like consideration for the Excellence in Libraries Award" (PDF). ALA (Press release). Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  6. ^ "Library and Information Center". Campus Map. Georgia Tech Alumni Association. Archived from the original on August 11, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  7. ^ "Georgia Tech Library: Hours". Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  8. ^ "Subject Librarians". Georgia Tech Library and Information Center. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  9. ^ "Leslie Sharp". Georgia Tech Library. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  10. ^ "Welcome Dean Leslie Sharp to the Library | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  11. ^ "Philanthropy at Tech". Georgia Institute of Technology. Archived from the original on August 16, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  12. ^ Li, Lisha; Altamirano, Isabel; Finn, Bette (2017). "History of the Georgia Tech Library, with Emphasis on the Crosland Era". Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  13. ^ "Dorothy M. Crosland Papers". Archives & Records Management. Georgia Tech Library. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  14. ^ Ann Vidor; Jean Price, Virginia Kinman. "A History of the Georgia Tech Library" (PDF). University of South Carolina School of Library and Information Science. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  15. ^ Kent, Allen (1993). Encyclopedia of library and information science, Volume 52. CRC Press. p. 108. ISBN 0-8247-2052-0. Retrieved June 6, 2011.
  16. ^ "Heffernan Design Archives". Georgia Tech Library. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  17. ^ "Library re-opening FAQs | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  18. ^ ""Empower. Enrich. Advance" (Library fact sheet)" (PDF). Library and Information Center, Georgia Institute of Technology. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2008. Retrieved December 26, 2007.
  19. ^ "Georgia Tech Archives and Special Collections". Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  20. ^ Kessler, Alex (March 3, 2011). "Archives delve into global, Tech history". The Technique. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  21. ^ "Georgia Tech Photograph Collection". Georgia Tech Archives and Records Management. Archived from the original on May 18, 2007. Retrieved August 13, 2007.
  22. ^ "Improved Services for Georgia Tech Users". Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  23. ^ "Library Service Center of Emory University and Georgia Tech". Archived from the original on December 17, 2014. Retrieved December 17, 2014.
  24. ^ Wallace, Lance (March 17, 2016). "Emory, Georgia Tech Dedicate Joint Library Service Center". Georgia Tech News. Retrieved March 18, 2019.
  25. ^ "Library re-opening FAQs | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  26. ^ "Collaborative & Quiet Study Spaces | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  27. ^ "Science Fiction Lounge | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  28. ^ "Archives Reading Room | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  29. ^ "Innovation & Ideation Studio | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  30. ^ "Library Classrooms | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  31. ^ "Media Scholarship Commons | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  32. ^ "Data Visualization Lab | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  33. ^ "retroTECH | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  34. ^ "Faculty Research Zone | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  35. ^ "Graduate Student Community | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  36. ^ "Computers & Printing | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
  37. ^ "Classes & Events | Georgia Tech Library". library.gatech.edu. Retrieved September 16, 2020.
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