Gallery > Galvin Library Tour - June 2008 (13)
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01.galvin library.jpg
Designed by architect Walter Netsch in the 1960s, and named for the founder of Motorola and great friend of the university, the Paul V. Galvin Library nests in the center of IIT's 120-acre campus - at the heart of learning, one may say...
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Immediately exterior to the Galvin Library entrance is Concurrence, a cast iron sculpture by Terry Kaprowicz. It is one of many public artworks on campus, which help some visitors distinguish one Modern building from another.
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Much as the campus landscape celebrates public art, the library itself offers a significant collection of "Galvin art." My personal favorite piece is this book sculpture by Scott McCarney, which welcomes visitors to explore and critique its texts...
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04.galvin library - atlas art.jpg
...without literally deconstructing them with scissors as McCarney has done, of course. If you want to print and chop an article from one of Galvin's many electronic journal holdings, though, no one will stop you.
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05.galvin library - atlas art by scott mccarney.jpg
As you may read here, McCarney uses obsolete books as his art medium. If you prefer more recent and relevant releases, however, check out the facility's newest friends.
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On Galvin's main level, students utilize university printers and computers - packed with necessary software, from techno-classics like AutoCAD and Matlab to Adobe CreativeSuite and GoogleEarth.
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When students want to hit the books from the floor, they can grab a seat on one of many moveable "Fatboys" - giant beanbag chairs that make connecting to free wireless internet to write reports on a deadline a leisurely activity.
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Access one of thousands of volumes of circulating books and government publications on the upper level or bound journals on the lower level (mostly).
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Netsch designed the upper level of this structure to be open to all possible natural light, much like its companion S.R. Crown Hall across the way. Even when their heads are in books, IIT's students stay connected to the world outside.
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But, of course, when students prefer not to contend with sunshine on their laptop's screen, they can opt for the dimness of a cubical study center.
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For the sophisticated type, the Galvin Library subtly suggests the Kemper Room. Located at the building's core, its chairs harken the contributions of campus architecture Mies van der Rohe, whose celebrated Barcelona chair offers a sweet seat for reflection and rest.
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The Special Collections at Galvin host a range of historical works from its own archive and others', such as the personal holdings of Karl Menger, the late IIT professor and famous developer of math's "Menger sponge."
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13.galvin library - periodicals.jpg
Lastly for now - I'll check in with more on the Academic Resource Center later - is Galvin's periodicals section. Whether reading the Trib for pleasure or perusing The Economist for that international business report topic, this is a mid-day hotspot for the ScarletHawks.