Marian Strobel, chair of Furman University’s history department, says the university’s James B. Duke Library used to be an unappealing spot for students doing research for her survey class on U.S. history. The necessary resources were housed in the archive, “and students had to go into cages in the book stacks, where it really wasn’t an effective place to work.” That’s been changed with the opening of the library’s new archive, a spacious and well-lit area where materials are clearly organized and accessible. “Students really needed a great space to do this work, and now they have it,” Strobel says. Space has been a major problem at the library for years. When it opened in 1958, the library held some 100,000 volumes and provided seating for 750, or half the university’s student body. But by the late 1990s, a quadrupling of the book collection, combined with an explosion of periodicals, microfilm, microfiche, and on-line resources had turned the once-spacious library into a cramped and outdated facility with only 364 seats available to 2800 students. Now, with the 2004 completion of a new 48,000-square-foot wing and a full renovation of the original structure, the James B. Duke Library is again an attractive and efficient facility with modern features: a 24-hour study area, dozens of group study rooms, multimedia viewing and production facilities, and the largest computer lab on campus. And while the renovated library is visually stunning, more important than appearance is the library’s greater functional ability, says Strobel, who adds that the combination of an outstanding library staff with excellent new resources will be a major asset for students and faculty alike. “It’s a place where you want to spend time." | 
