“This is an exciting and pivotal time for the UCSB Library. The evolving research library is a commons for the exchange of inquiry, where intellectual curiosity can be satisfied using various existing and emerging technologies, and where the lifecycle of information in any format is made accessible to a changing and diverse community of scholars. The re-imagined UCSB Library will be among the best of its kind, standing at the intellectual and cultural crossroads of one of this country’s finest universities.”
—Denise Stephens, University Librarian, UCSB
The renovation and addition will expand the Library's footprint by 100,000 square feet, including 60,000 square feet of new space.
The three-story addition, in the foreground, will house Special Collections with state-of-the-art technology for conservation and preservation.
The Arts Library (entrance pictured here) will be incorporated into the main Library complex in the renovated two-story building.
Four reading galleries encased by glass walls will be located on the ground level of the two-story renovation.
The glass walls of the three-story Paseo connect the new and renovated sections of the Library to the current Davidson Library.
The new three-story Paseo creates a grand walkways from east to west through the Library and houses circulation and reference desks as well as study areas on the second floor.
The second floor of the Paseo provides study and collaboration space with high ceilings and abundant natural light.
