Canada: Mount Royal University Breaks Ground on $100M Library Project

Libraries in Alberta are hot and continue to make headlines.
Along with the new Mount Royal library story (below) here are a few examples from the infoDOCKET archive:
1. In June, the Edmonton Public Library was named the Gale/LJ 2014 Library of the Year in June. A couple of weeks ago we mentioned the debut of the epl2Go Literacy Vans.
2. The Calgary Public Library is in the process of planning/building a new central library. They also have a new library director.
3. The $205 Million Taylor Family Digital Library opened at the University of Calgary in 2011.
Now, learn more about the new library coming to Mount Royal University in Calgary.
From the Calgary Herald:

During Tuesday’s ceremonial groundbreaking for the school’s new 16,000-square-metre, stand-alone library, Mt. Royal president David Docherty said the wealth of knowledge, information and data available to students is “no easier to navigate now that it’s digital.”
“Our students learn differently and we need those expert librarians helping them guide themselves through the digital world for proper research to help solve the problems we’re going to be facing in the future,” said Docherty.
The Riddell Library and Learning Centre will be the “intellectual heart” of campus, he added. With an approximate price tag of $100 million, the LEED Gold standard building will feature 1,500 seats, 34 group-use rooms, and a variety of other areas, including visualization labs and a media creation suite.

Read the Complete Article
More About the New Library in this Announcement From Mt. Royal University

To accommodate this volume of students, faculty and the Calgary community, the Riddell LLC will be four times larger than the current space at nearly 16,000 square metres. Group-use rooms will increase from three to 34. The number of student stations will nearly triple from 570 to 1500.
The Riddell LLC will also showcase the new world of libraries as innovative, creative hubs for research, creativity and engagement. Some of the technologically advanced, not to mention just plain cool, new components of the new Riddell LLC include:
An expanded physical collection in support of Mount Royal programs and research including enhanced data files and GIS, streaming video/audio collections
Treadmill desks, stand up desks and other healthy (physically and mentally) options for different work style
A creator space that provides students, faculty and community users with tools and equipment for tactile learning
An innovation lab that will feature a high-end visualization wall to allow students to engage with information in new ways.
Approximately six fully equipped soundproofed media/digital project rooms that allow students to record, edit and manipulate sound and video to create media rich presentations.
A 360 Degree Data Visualization Studio, which is a collaborative space for students and researchers to explore and interact with visual data. Multiple projectors are used to display the contents of a single computer screen 360-degrees around all four walls of this black box space.
Facilities for bike commuters, such as bike storage lockers and showers.

Filed under: Data Files, Digital Collections, Gale, Interactive Tools, Libraries, Maps, Patrons and Users, Public Libraries, School Libraries