The library stands on the former grounds of Stagg Field. In 1965, the Joseph Regenstein Foundation gave $10 million to the University for construction of the library. In 1968, the university broke ground, and in 1970 the library opened at the final cost of $20,750,000. The building was designed by the Chicago firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, led by senior architect Walter Netsch. It is built out of grooved limestone, which, from a distance, resembles concrete. University tour guides often remark on the resemblance between each element of the building's facade and the fore edge of a book. The University of Chicago Graduate Library School was housed in the Joseph Regenstein Library until its closure. Today, the "Reg" is the flagship institution of the University of Chicago Library system, which is considered among the top five in the world for breadth and depth of material,[citation needed] and receives high marks from users (The Princeton Review placed it in the top nine for college students).
The Regenstein Library was constructed on the former site of Alonzo Stagg Field where the first controlled, self-sustaining, nuclear chain reaction took place on December 2, 1942. Henry Moore's bronze sculpture Nuclear Energy commemorates the event.
The building has five floors above ground and two basements. Each floor has a large reading room in the center with desks, group study rooms, lockers and shelved reference works. The reading rooms on floors two and three are connected by a small atrium. The reading rooms are separated from the stacks, located on the west side of the building, so that the stacks can be maintained at lower temperatures, which are more amicable to book conservation. 220 faculty studies line the east side of the building.[3]
The Regenstein's overflowing collection posed space problems for the book stacks. In May 2005, the University of Chicago's Board of Trustees authorized funding for a $42 million addition to the library, which was completed mid-2011. The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library, designed by Chicago-based architect Helmut Jahn, consists of a glass-domed reading room, under which lies an automated storage and retrieval system stretching fifty feet underground. It allows the library to maintain physical copies of materials available online while creating space within the book stacks to accommodate approximately 20 years of new print acquisitions.[4]
The Regenstein Library is a popular social space for University of Chicago college students: "On our campus, it's not the football game that draws the biggest crowd, it's evening study in the library," said former Provost Richard Saller. "We're a campus where the library is sort of the social center because it is the focus [of the university]."[5]
The Regenstein Library is also the location of the Special Collections Research Center, which houses rare book collections, manuscripts, and university archives. The SCRC was established in 1953 by Herman H. Fussler and was moved to the "Reg" when it opened in 1970. The rare books collection currently holds approximately 265,000 volumes.
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This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral Please help improve it by replacing them with more appropriate citations to reliable independent third party sources February 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Joseph Regenstein Library often referred to by students as The Reg is the main library of the University of Chicago named after the industrialist and philanthropist Joseph Regenstein It is one of the largest repositories of books in the world and is noted for its brutalist architecture 2 better source needed Regenstein LibraryMain approach to Regenstein Library41 47 32 N 87 35 59 W 41 7922 N 87 5998 W 41 7922 87 5998LocationHyde Park Chicago United StatesTypeAcademic libraryEstablished1970 1970 Branch ofUniversity of Chicago LibraryCollectionItems collectedbooks journals newspapers magazines sound and music recordings maps prints drawings and manuscriptsSize4 5 million 1 Access and useMembers33 000Other informationDirectorBrenda JohnsonWebsitewww wbr lib wbr uchicago wbr edu wbr reg wbr References Abbott Report Contents 1 History 2 Figures 3 References 4 External linksHistory editThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message The library stands on the former grounds of Stagg Field In 1965 the Joseph Regenstein Foundation gave 10 million to the University for construction of the library In 1968 the university broke ground and in 1970 the library opened at the final cost of 20 750 000 The building was designed by the Chicago firm Skidmore Owings amp Merrill led by senior architect Walter Netsch It is built out of grooved limestone which from a distance resembles concrete University tour guides often remark on the resemblance between each element of the building s facade and the fore edge of a book The University of Chicago Graduate Library School was housed in the Joseph Regenstein Library until its closure Today the Reg is the flagship institution of the University of Chicago Library system which is considered among the top five in the world for breadth and depth of material citation needed and receives high marks from users The Princeton Review placed it in the top nine for college students nbsp The Regenstein Library was constructed on the former site of Alonzo Stagg Field where the first controlled self sustaining nuclear chain reaction took place on December 2 1942 Henry Moore s bronze sculpture Nuclear Energy commemorates the event The building has five floors above ground and two basements Each floor has a large reading room in the center with desks group study rooms lockers and shelved reference works The reading rooms on floors two and three are connected by a small atrium The reading rooms are separated from the stacks located on the west side of the building so that the stacks can be maintained at lower temperatures which are more amicable to book conservation 220 faculty studies line the east side of the building 3 The Regenstein s overflowing collection posed space problems for the book stacks In May 2005 the University of Chicago s Board of Trustees authorized funding for a 42 million addition to the library which was completed mid 2011 The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library designed by Chicago based architect Helmut Jahn consists of a glass domed reading room under which lies an automated storage and retrieval system stretching fifty feet underground It allows the library to maintain physical copies of materials available online while creating space within the book stacks to accommodate approximately 20 years of new print acquisitions 4 The Regenstein Library is a popular social space for University of Chicago college students On our campus it s not the football game that draws the biggest crowd it s evening study in the library said former Provost Richard Saller We re a campus where the library is sort of the social center because it is the focus of the university 5 The Regenstein Library is also the location of the Special Collections Research Center which houses rare book collections manuscripts and university archives The SCRC was established in 1953 by Herman H Fussler and was moved to the Reg when it opened in 1970 The rare books collection currently holds approximately 265 000 volumes Figures editThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed February 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Area 577 085 gross feet2 Maximum east west dimension 344 Maximum north south dimension 411 6 References edit The Joseph Regenstein Library The University of Chicago Library Retrieved 2015 05 03 Joseph Regenstein Library uchicago edu Faculty Studies uchicago edu Joe and Rika Mansueto Library uchicago edu Chicago Tribune Library set for grand new chapter uchicago edu External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Joseph Regenstein Library https www lib uchicago edu e reg using building html http www news uchicago edu citations 05 050605 reg ct html https www lib uchicago edu e scrc Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Regenstein Library amp oldid 1189815776, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
