Thomas Cooper Research Paper
The Thomas Cooper library is the main academic information source for the university of South Carolina. This building is a significant place for the students of the university, and for the public. Buildings and monuments with a lot of history behind it are usually more powerful. This is an example of one of those. Every building is different and the history will explain why. Getting to know Thomas Cooper and why the library was built will help explain the reason things about the library are the way they are. The library was named after Thomas Cooper, an Oxford-educated president of the university who served a two-year term. Before he was president, he was a politician in Philadelphia. He was a friend of Thomas Jefferson, but a foe of John
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The original University library was called the South Caroliniana Library. This was the “first separate college library building in the country”, according to the library's website. It is the oldest continuously operated library building in the United States, and it has rare books from before 1860. However, when the University closed during the Civil War, funding to the library and university were significantly depleted. In 1940 a different library was dubbed the main library. The McKissick library, named after the University president at the time, was the main library until 1976. It is now the University's museum. Between 1940 and 1976 the undergraduate library was designed and built. This was the first separate undergraduate library in the south and the third in the nation. It contained an abundant amount of resources for undergraduate students. When the collection of books outgrew the McKissick, around 1976, the University turned to architects to find a solution. A new library was designed as a renovation to the undergraduate library. Thus the Thomas Cooper library was born. Only about 30% of the undergraduate library was used to make it. The construction was a challenging process, but the result was worth it. It was a seven story building including three undergraduate research floors and four more floors underneath the ground. It has 45 miles of shelving and has the potential to hold 1.5 million books. It was well received by the community, because they saw use in it. The people living near it thought it was an excellent use of funds
The original University library was called the South Caroliniana Library. This was the “first separate college library building in the country”, according to the library's website. It is the oldest continuously operated library building in the United States, and it has rare books from before 1860. However, when the University closed during the Civil War, funding to the library and university were significantly depleted. In 1940 a different library was dubbed the main library. The McKissick library, named after the University president at the time, was the main library until 1976. It is now the University's museum. Between 1940 and 1976 the undergraduate library was designed and built. This was the first separate undergraduate library in the south and the third in the nation. It contained an abundant amount of resources for undergraduate students. When the collection of books outgrew the McKissick, around 1976, the University turned to architects to find a solution. A new library was designed as a renovation to the undergraduate library. Thus the Thomas Cooper library was born. Only about 30% of the undergraduate library was used to make it. The construction was a challenging process, but the result was worth it. It was a seven story building including three undergraduate research floors and four more floors underneath the ground. It has 45 miles of shelving and has the potential to hold 1.5 million books. It was well received by the community, because they saw use in it. The people living near it thought it was an excellent use of funds