Union College receives $100,000 grant for library renovation

Denise Wainscott, vice president for advancement at Union College announced today that the college has received a $100,000 grant from the Steele-Reese Foundation toward the renovation of the library. This $1.5 million dollar project, currently underway, will bring together all library and technology services into one collaborative unit.

The project began this past spring with the installation of a new roof. In addition, the renovation of the library's floor plan to improve functionality and efficiency is well underway. According to Wainscott, the Steele-Reese grant will apply toward the costs of incorporating the Timeless Tales reading and tutoring center (primarily for K-3 students) into the curriculum area renovation of the library to purchase appropriate size furnishings/shelving and for other furnishings needed in the library, and toward the replacement of the heating and air conditioning unit for an energy efficient climate control system.

Wainscott also commented on the library's importance to the community, "The renovation and modernization of the library and the annex will create a comprehensive learning environment that integrates both printed and electronic resources, not just for Union's students and faculty, but also for the community."

In April of this year, the library and the annex, along with the connecting Black Technology Center, was named the David and Donna Jones Learning Resource Center. The new complex name brings the college's library and technology services together under one umbrella.

Eleanor Steele Reese created the Steele-Reese Foundation in 1955 to honor she and her husband Emmet's families. The foundation awards grants to organizations operating in the western states of Idaho and Montana and in the Southern Appalachian mountain regions of Kentucky, North Carolina and Northern Georgia. The foundation has supported other Union College projects over the years.

July 19, 2004

 

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