A Bigger, Better Chaminade Library

May 07, 2008
By Linda Dela Cruz

Chaminade University dedicated its $14 million Sullivan Family Library April 25, when the governor and lieutenant governor joined Chaminade students, faculty, donors, alumni and the public for the blessing, pupu reception and ceremonies.

The old library of 9,000 square feet has been transformed into a 20,000-square-foot structure with an impressive view of Diamond Head, said Larry Osborne, director of library and information services.

“The ideal library for a librarian is an airplane hangar, and that’s basically what we have,” he said. “We wanted something that, as business changes in five years, we won’t have to redo.” There’s a training classroom for faculty and staff, for example, as well as a computer lab.

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“Because of the way we are changing teaching and encouraging group projects, the new library has five group study rooms on the third floor that are equipped with computers, digital cameras, projectors, and DVD/CD players,” he said.

Teachers have stepped up their use of technology for distance learning classes, Osborne added, while helping students as far away as Iraq and Afghanistan earn their degrees.

The new venue also focuses on an archive, and there are computer servers that boost the amount of information that is available in digital forms to Chaminade students.

“We not only have a traditional library,” Osborne said, “we also have a digital library in one building.”