Expansions at Coe Library
1977 Stack Tower
Twenty years after the original construction in the 1950’s, the library would see its first expansion in 1977. The legislature approved $5,170,000 in February 1976, for the addition to provide the library with an additional 60,195 feet with seating for 800 and about 250,000 books. The addition included air conditioning, a P.A. system, an elevator, telephones on every floor connected to the central information desk, and wiring for future audiovisual needs.
The new wing was completed in late fall 1978, and during the following December and January, the move into the wing was executed by library staff and physical plant staff. In total, 400,000 volumes and an additional 1.3 million government documents were shifted. In all, 3,435 library staff hours were used and 1,514 physical plant hours were needed. When the stack tower was completed, the connecting doors between the History and Coe Library were sealed.
The dedication of Coe’s New East Wing was celebrated on April 20, 1979. Nearly five hundred guests explored the new addition. The American Heritage Center, housed on an upper floor of the stack tower, opened its rooms for a rare public showing for this event.
Thirty years later, the Information, Library and Learning Center (ILLC) will be the third expansion to the original Coe Library building, with the ground-breaking anticipated for summer 2007.
Information Library and Learning Center
The University of Wyoming Science Library opened in 1970 as part of the George Duke Humphrey Science Complex. Located beneath an outdoor plaza, the Science Library formed an underground bridge between the identical Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences buildings, allowing patrons relief from harsh Wyoming weather, as well as full circulation and reference services.
The Science Library collection rapidly grew throughout the 1970’s, particularly in response to the University’s increased emphasis on programs in the sciences. By 1979, the library housed over 160,000 volumes, 60,000 more than its designed capacity. The Science Library desperately needed space, and was able to expand underground in 1981. However, the collection continued to grow, and future underground expansion was no longer feasible. By the late 1990’s, over 20% of the Science Library collection was being stored in the main (Coe) library, which was also running out of space. In 2005, the decision was made to refit the Science Library facility with compact shelving, a move that would significantly increase volume capacity and provide future growth for all University Libraries collections. In May 2006, the Science Library officially closed, merging its services, staff, and reference collections into Coe Library. The former Science Library location is now known as the Library Annex, a high density shelving facility set to open in late 2007.
Jennifer Mayer, Associate Librarian