The Buildings of Central Michigan University
Charles Park Library
Originally Opened 1969
Original Cost: $4.25 million
Renovated and Enlarged: 2002
Reconstruction Cost: $50 million
The library is currently undergoing a dramatic expansion and facelift. The
$50,000,000 project will expand the usable floor space from 130,000 square feet
to over 205,000 square feet. The renovated structure will include 2,500 network
connections and over four hu
ndred computer workstations. While the library was
originally constructed
to house 550,000 volumes, the expanded library can house 1,300,000 volumes.
New electronic moving shelves will balance efficient use of space with ease
of use. The architects for the expansion are URS, Inc., and Woollen Molzan and
Partners.
The library is named for Charles Park, who came to Central as head librarian in 1931 after being an assistant librarian at Stanford for fifteen years.
The original Park library was constructed in 1968 (pictured at left). The $4.25 million structure was partly funded with the help of a federal grant. The original cornerstone of the library contained Richard Nixon's inagural address and a report on the war in Vietnam written by Secretary of State Dean Rusk.