With craftsman details throughout its lighting, furniture and design elements, the Manchester Library & Learning Center honors the three Irving Gill-designed buildings on Bishop’s campus. Filled with more than 27,000 books and over 90,000 e-books, the facility is a blend of tradition and technology, including wireless access throughout, five group study rooms with 50-inch video monitors for digital projects, individual study carrels, a writing center and a media lab.
The building has 22,000 square feet on three levels. The main level is The Huntington Library Collection, which includes the reference and history sections. The atrium level comprises both fiction and nonfiction, and the upper level showcases the fine arts collection, and is home to silent study areas and The Learning Center.
The library and The Learning Center support the School’s shift to portable digital devices. With laptops, iPads and wireless access both inside the building and on the neighboring Larmour Lawn & Plaza, information is no longer tied to a single location or piece of equipment.
The $10 million Manchester Library & Learning Center was dedicated on August 22, 2012, and is equipped with a solar energy system as part of the School’s solar energy initiative.