As the library commemorates its first decade of service and looks forward to its second in this year’s “Spanning the Decade” celebration, those in charge of guiding one of IUPUI’s most vital academic resources are excited about the future.

“The information age has redefined the role of a library in the university and the role of a university library in the larger community,” said David Lewis, dean of University Library. “Ten years after the construction of this fine facility, it is time to celebrate that fact.”

University Library was dedicated in 1994 and has produced dozens of innovative projects. One such effort is an electronic resource that documents tornado touchdowns in central Indiana from 1950-95.

It has attracted researchers and scholars from all over the world, and its online services make it accessible to anyone, anywhere, just a mouse click away. University Library averages more than one million visits per year and 70,000 hits per day on its Web site, making it a perpetually open gateway to information, knowledge and wisdom.

The library is a “home away from home” for thousands of IUPUI students, as well as serving the campus’ faculty and staff. But it also has become a familiar resource for Indianapolis area residents hoping to connect with a world of information sources. University Library was one of the first libraries to launch a Web interface and has used its one-of-a-kind online multimedia distribution system to provide more effective service.

University Library fills a valuable “proactive teaching and service role in its campus and communities,” said Lewis. “We can significantly improve student learning, contribute to faculty research, help to meet the research needs of community-based organizations and strengthen corporate bottom lines.”

http://www.ulib.iupui.edu/