Feb 01 2010
Belk Library turns 10!
The groundbreaking ceremony for the Carol Grotnes Belk Library took place on March 11, 1998 and the 75,000 square-foot facility opened on January 31, 2000—making 2010 the 10 year anniversary of the building. With 158 computers, lots of comfy couches and chairs, and study rooms—Belk Library is almost always full of students and people from various departments on campus.
Before Belk, the Iris Holt McEwen Library served Elon’s campus since 1968 providing students and faculty with primarily printed resources they needed for research. The McEwen Library did not have a large number of computers, and virtually had no online databases, journals, or books. Today, Belk Library has over 180 online databases and thousands of electronic books.
The Writing and Tutoring Centers were located in Mooney building before moving to Belk Library in 2000. Media Services, which provides assistance with making posters and checking out equipment, moved from the LaRose Resources Center (which was also in Mooney) to the new Belk Library. All of these services brought together under one roof are referred to as the Information Commons. This area on the first floor of Belk Library provides a one-stop-shop for students, faculty, and staff to get help with their research, computers, circulation and reserves of library materials, and they can have posters made or check out technology equipment. As stated in an article in the Spring 2000 MagazineElon “Technology has been incorporated into the library without compromising its inviting feel.”
Students and the campus community are not only drawn to Belk Library because of the outstanding services it offers, but also because of the architectural design and functionality of the space. “Years of thoughtful planning resulted in a library carefully designed to fit Elon’s active learning style. One of the cornerstones of that philosophy is collaborative learning, which is encouraged throughout the library.” (Magazine of Elon, Spring 2000) Belk Library is certainly wired and welcoming, so help us celebrate the 10th anniversary! Follow these links for more celebratory information:
YouTube video of the move from McEwen to Belk