The arrival of the 64,000-square-foot Thompson Library, with a design intended to foster activities for all types of learners, is now scheduled to open in summer 2024.
The intention all along, even before assigning a name to the library, was to support Coastal Carolina University students. Making it an active space both day and night, everyone can witness the dedication of the students as they study along University Boulevard.
According to Associate University Librarian Jennifer Hughes, the building was planned to be called the Academic Enrichment Center back in 2018 and 2019. By the summer of 2019, it expanded to include the library, becoming the Library Learning Complex. Following a generous $4 million donation from the Thompson family, it was rechristened as the Thompson Library.
The new building will include things like the addition of podcast rooms, installation of advanced equipment for the Makerspace and the incorporation of a t-shirt printer. Made to support the influx of record-breaking freshman classes, Hughes said having three buildings with space for all kinds of learners will be essential.
“We need the collaborative group spaces as well as quiet spaces. The Thompson Makerspace is going to be that next level of learning,” Hughes said.
Thompson Library will also house another Starbucks, a “social stair,” open spaces for collaborative work, student-athlete academic services, tutoring, a Makerspace twice as large, three podcast studios and a writing center.
“There’s more to learning than just writing a paper,” she said, “it’s about creating.”
Hughes said that having everything in one space will normalize the need for tutoring.
The original opening date was set for spring 2024, but delays in obtaining essential structures pushed back the timeline off completion.
Despite these setbacks, CCU Project Manager Shawn Godwin said the roof will be finished soon, so the construction process should continue quickly.
“Working on interior finishes and exterior envelope in concurrence, it’s mainly exterior hardscape, landscape left to finish up on,” he said.
As soon as Thompson’s doors open, Kimbel Library’s will briefly close to begin its own renovation to promote better lighting and house the University archives and K-12 juvenile books.
