Mansueto Library reading room to open May 16

The Grand Reading Room of the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library will open to students, faculty and staff on Monday, May 16.

The reading room, which seats 180, will be fully accessible to University of Chicago library patrons starting May 16. The preliminary process of moving printed materials into the library’s underground storage facility should be completed this fall. A formal dedication ceremony for the library will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 11.

The Mansueto Library houses cutting-edge facilities for preservation and digitization of physical books, as well as a high-density underground storage system with the capacity to hold 3.5 million volume equivalents. The new library is designed to fulfill scholars’ needs for easy access to print resources, at a time when many other research universities are moving collections to off-site storage. With its prime location on campus and innovative design, the Mansueto Library provides an inviting and up-to-date space for rigorous scholarship in an array of fields.

In May 2008, Joe Mansueto, BA’78 and MBA’80, and Rika Yoshida, AB’91, gave a $25 million gift to the University. In recognition, the University named the new, state-of-the-art library for them. Construction of the library, designed by architect Helmut Jahn, began in fall 2008.

Next to the Mansueto, the Regenstein Library is opening its new Special Collections Exhibition Gallery on May 9 with Firmness, Commodity, and Delight, an exhibition of rare books, manuscripts, and other archival material illuminating the history of architectural practice.