SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates, April 10, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- On orders from His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qassimi, Supreme Council Member, Ruler of Sharjah and President of the American University of Sharjah, work has begun on the new three-storey, 26-million-dirham AUS library, which will emerge as one of the strongest research libraries in the region, said AUS Chancellor Dr. Winfred Thompson today.
His Highness expressed pride and satisfaction at the progress achieved by AUS since its inception and said that the establishment of a separate library on campus would strengthen the university's reputation as a premier institution of higher learning in the Middle East. "We aim to see the new library become a leading center of research and knowledge in the region, further substantiating the achievements and progress made by the university thus far," he said.
Chancellor Thompson described the construction of the new library as a "momentous occasion that should be celebrated." He added that "this new facility will hold a wealth of information that is essential for enhancing the quality of education the university offers."
Located on the plaza behind the Main Building, the new library, with an area of more than 10,000 square meters, is expected to be open in time for Fall Semester 2005.
According to University Librarian Ms. Lorin Ritchie, the library's design is based upon research about library usage. "The new library is aimed at meeting the rapid increase of students and faculty and to satisfy the diverse demands of the library users," she said.
While the library's exterior will echo the design of other university buildings, the interior design is based on a zoning system that follows modern library models. The library will feature different study environments, called zones, which will meet the needs of various users. The ground floor will accommodate the active zones, with study halls, a bookstore, a cafe, a multipurpose room for exhibitions, a seminar room, a faculty development center, classrooms and a common information area for students. The first floor will be the "medium noise area" with some activity and noise associated with the reference service, the group study rooms, and the study tables. The top floor will be the "quiet zone" and will house the book collection and individual study carrels.
Additionally, the new library will provide much-needed space for the expanding collection, which grows by 10,000 books per year. The new library will have shelving capacity for approximately 400,000 books.
"The library will be the second largest building on campus, and will give a grand facade toward the airport road. It will roughly be three times the size of the existing library, housing many academic support services for students and faculty," said Mark Kirchner, campus architect.
For more information, contact: Nazzal Yousuf Media Manager American University of Sharjah Tel: +971 6 515 2157 Fax: +971 6 515 2288 Email: nyousuf@ausharjah.edu http://www.ausharjah.edu http://www.pressreleasenetwork.com/newsroom