Buckhannon, WV, September 10, 2019 — As students arrived back at West Virginia Wesleyan in late August, they noticed a number of exciting updates to campus facilities. One of the most notable was the completion of the eight-month renovation of the Annie Merner Pfeiffer Library. To celebrate the official reopening of the library, the community is invited to a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, September 12, at 11:00 a.m.
Designed for student success, the library renovation focused on the ways in which a new generation of students learn and study. The project attempted to create flexible, modern spaces with comfortable furnishings, while retaining traditional library traditional resources and services.
Other advancements included a dramatic upgrade of the library’s wireless broadband access, the addition of a self-serve micro-market with café-style seating, and the ability for campus members to access the library space 24 hours a day with their ID card. In addition, several academic services have been moved into the library, including all student-led tutoring sessions and the College’s writing center.
“This project has literally transformed this campus. Students, faculty, and the larger community are the beneficiaries of this renovation. It’s one more example of what makes West Virginian Wesleyan a leader in the region—investing in learning and the search for wider knowledge so that our students continue to be leaders when they leave here,” shared Dr. James Moore, dean of the faculty.
“Libraries are still very much relevant to a liberal arts education, and I am excited that this update to our building will preserve the central function of libraries while also maximizing flexibility and creating an exciting, adaptable space that will inspire and support the teaching, learning, and information needs of the Wesleyan campus,” stated Brett Miller ’06, director of library services.
Miller added, “The result of the renovation will be an academic hub that retains the historical character of our original building and traditional resources, while providing our academic community the modern facilities and amenities they expect in an innovative 21st-century learning environment.”
Among the highlights of the library renovation are:
• A new ADA-compliant rear entrance facing the center of campus that improves accessibility
• An increase in the number of small group study spaces from four to nineteen, most of which will include monitors and whiteboards
• Consolidation of several academic services into one location, such as tutoring and writing center
• Cutting-edge Wi-Fi access points that will communicate with mobile devices faster and more efficiently
• A new, more visible rare book room that will allow the library staff to highlight the rich body of material in its Abraham Lincoln, West Virginia, and rare book collections
• Twenty-four-hour building access to campus individuals, monitored by a state-of-the-art security system
After the ribbon cutting, attendees will be invited to explore the newly remodeled library. The current library has been serving Wesleyan for nearly seven decades since 1953. A wraparound addition was completed in 1972.
Light refreshments will be served.
