By Lynne Raughley

Construction on the second floor of the Hatcher Graduate Library South is complete, and the new Stephen S. Clark Library for Maps, Government Information, and Data Services is open for business.

The celebratory ribbon cutting, featuring the U-M Men’s Glee Club, tours, and refreshments, will be held on December 2nd at 4:00 p.m. Jennifer Green, Manager of the Clark Library, and her staff will move the remainder of a map collection consisting of more than 300,000 items from its former space on the 8th floor of Hatcher, and introducing the new space to the University community.

Green says the new library’s unique combination of collections, government information expertise, and data services will provide scholars and researchers with unprecedented opportunities for exploration, discovery, and collaboration.

“Before the Clark, there was a large degree of interaction among these three units,” Green says. “Our new proximity, in a purposefully designed and equipped space, means that we can more effectively collaborate with each other, which in turn really enhances our ability to creatively collaborate with students, faculty, and researchers.”

The new library features 60-foot long counter to enable the examination of large-format maps; a presentation space that will accommodate instruction; display cases and screens that showcase items from the print and digital collections; a large-format high-resolution scanner that produces digital copies for online work or the creation of full-size print copies; individual and group study spaces with dual-screen computers and laptop accessibility; and comfortable, moveable furniture for flexible study and collaboration.

The Clark Library is also expected to bring other valuable benefits to the University community.

Paul Courant, University Librarian and Dean of Libraries, explains. “We expect the Clark to become the campus nexus for the various data services that all disciplines increasingly require, because among the many things libraries do well is secure storage of all kinds of content in such a way that it can be readily and reliably retrieved.”

The library’s namesake and benefactor, Stephen S. Clark (B.S. `74, M.B.A `76), is Chairman of Dwyer Instruments, Inc., in Michigan City, Indiana. Courant says, “Stephen Clark’s generous gift has enabled us to build and equip a space that will enhance teaching, learning, and research at this university long into the future.”