Campus & Community

Anderson Academic Commons debuts with fanfare

About 500 students, staff, faculty, alumni, donors and friends gathered in the new Anderson Academic Commons Monday morning for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to introduce the new building to campus.

Chancellor Robert Coombe began the ceremony by asking audience members to reflect on where they were 10 years ago, when the University began discussions about creating a library for the 21st century. Coombe also thanked the more than 5,000 donors who made the project a reality. The fully remodeled building features several dozen tech-equipped group study areas, “deep quiet” zones for intense study and an in-house café with patio seating and a menu of seasonal, locally sourced cuisine.

Coombe went on to talk about the Anderson Academic Commons as an intellectual focal point for campus: “It provides wonderful new space for students, surrounded by every possible support service,” he said. “It has become much more than a library. It’s been transformed into space for collaborative learning, research, study and scholarly exploration.”

Chloe Campbell, a graduate student in the Library and Information Science program at the Morgridge College of Education and president of the University of Denver student chapter of the American Library Association, reflected on her experience watching the library grow. Campbell, who has worked for the University library since July 2007, praised the new building, which took 16 months to construct.

“We have more study space, more room for collaboration, which really creates a community in the Academic Commons,” she said. “The Anderson Academic Commons will become a learning space for all, where we can share ideas, collaborate and inspire.”

Sam Estenson, president of the Undergraduate Student Government, referred to the Anderson Academic Commons as “a symbol of inspiration and hard work.”

In her concluding remarks, University Libraries Dean Nancy Allen noted that the design and services of the new facility were shaped by extensive feedback from students and faculty. “The Anderson Academic Commons,” she said, “will truly enable the University to bring the library of the future to today’s students and faculty, supporting learning in many ways and highlighting collaborative programs featuring research and information services, writing, technology, math, and the best of pedagogy support for teaching and learning.”

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