books, journals, newspapers, magazines, sound and music recordings, maps, prints, drawings and manuscripts
Size
3.5 million (capacity)
Access and use
Members
33,000
Other information
Director
Torsten Reimer
Website
mansueto.lib.uchicago.edu
References: www.lib.uchicago.edu
The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library is a storage library of the University of Chicago Library It has a capacity of 3.5 million volumes under an elliptical dome. It was designed by Helmut Jahn. It was named after alumni Joe Mansueto and Rika Mansueto.
History and Construction
Mansueto Library, designed by Chicago-based architect Helmut Jahn, consists of a glass-domed reading room, above high-density closed bookstacks which can be accessed through an automated storage and retrieval system. The physical retrieval is carried out by multiple robotic cranes, averaging about 3 minutes per retrieval.[1] Mansueto allows the university to maintain the vast majority of its library holdings on campus in a centrally located facility, while creating space to accommodate new acquisitions for approximately 20 years.[2]
Planning for the library grew out of studies beginning in 2003, by a faculty task force because other campus libraries, primarily the Regenstein Library, were running out of space for new books. In 2005, the board of trustees approved building a high-density storage facility next to the Regenstein building.[3] The choice of Helmut Jahn was made in February 2006. Construction began in 2008, and the building was dedicated in late 2011.[4]
Reception
Mansueto Library became the recipient of several architectural accolades in the years following its dedication. Among these was a Distinguished Building Award from the American Institute of Architects Chicago Chapter in 2011.[5] The library also earned second place in the First Baku International Architectural Competition and was a finalist for the Chicago Building Congress New Construction award and the libraries category of the Architizer A+ Awards.[6]
Beyond the original purpose of aiding in research endeavors, Mansueto has earned a place in the collegiate community of The University of Chicago through the attention it has drawn from those within the university and beyond. In 2013, the makers of Divergent (film), interested by the unique, glass design of the library, used Mansueto in a scene of the futuristic dystopian film, allowing select undergraduates to take part in the process.[7] The library has also been a part of a handful of items within the University of Chicago Scavenger Hunt, better known amongst the faculty and students as Scav. These aspects of Mansueto have made it one of the staples of the many tours the university gives to its prospective students, establishing the library as a common representative of the university.
North American libraries with larger automated storage and retrieval systems: 0
Typical book retrieval time: 5 minutes
References
^"The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library". The University of Chicago Library. University of Chicago. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
^"Joe and Rika Mansueto Library". The University of Chicago Library. University of Chicago. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
^"Background Documents". The University of Chicago Library. University of Chicago. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
^"Project Timeline". The University of Chicago Library. University of Chicago. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
^"Joe and Rika Mansueto Library". AIA Chicago 2011 Design Excellence Awards. AIA Chicago. Archived from the original on 16 June 2012. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
^"Awards". JAHN. Helmut Jahn. Archived from the original on 9 October 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
^"Students learn about feature filmmaking with 'Divergent' internships". The University of Chicago Library News. The University of Chicago. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
^"Mansueto by the Numbers". The University of Chicago Library. University of Chicago. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joe and Rika Mansueto Library.
