The University is currently rivaling two other small Universities in close proximity. In order to remain competetive, an image for the building must convey prestige and culture.

A single donor, Charles C. Myers, has funded the entire project and the building bears his name. The 24,000 square foot addition to the Ficke-Laird and Couchman Building is organized with the existing in a manner which achieves a more efficient and flexible library. An additional 11,000 square feet of space has been programmed for a future second-story phase. The new brick and cast stone clad structure will blend architecturally with the campus buildings in a traditional yet contemporary style. The library has many new amenities for the University that modernize and improve upon the previous facility.

A new special collections vault with a dry fire suppression system was included in the project to help protect the valuable archival collection that the library holds. A forty foot tall cast stone trimmed entrance lobby with ten foot mahogany doors greets students and faculty and creates a sense of importance that was lacking in the previous lobby.

Two eighty foot long translucent skylights bring natural daylight into both the addition and the remodeled library, improving the atmosphere from the previously ill-illuminated building. A student café was included to provide a place where students and faculty could get a beverage or snack while doing research, and to encourage faculty and student interaction. To accommodate faculty, individual study rooms were provided that allow for personal, private, and secure study/research.

A thirty-two person flexible computer classroom with a direct fiber optic connection was included to provide students with a high-speed connection to the Internet and the University WAN. A Multimedia room was also planned specifically for library studies, and features a digital projector, a recessed teaching monitor, and ICN connectivity. In order to accommodate future technology installations, almost 250 Computer Drops were included for the libraries’ 53,166 s.f. Other enhancements include multiple function computer workstations, seminar rooms, and classrooms equipped with built-in computer workstations.