[Editor's Note: This announcement was originally published on Nov. 1.]
You might say Sacred Heart University has written a new chapter in its history with the recent completion of extensive renovations to the Ryan Matura Library on its Fairfield campus. Now a rededication ceremony has been scheduled for Wednesday, November 2, to officially introduce the revamped space to University members and the general public.
While the University was established in 1963, it was not until 1968 that the three-level, approximately 50,000-square-foot library facility was completed in the main quad of the campus. It was the first stand-alone library for any SHU facility, though there is a specialized adjunct library center for the College of Health Professions on Cambridge Drive in Trumbull. Overseen by Librarian Jeffrey Orrico, that center houses appropriate learning resources and study space and is a model for future college building construction, which will also house discipline-specific libraries and resources.
The Ryan Matura Library, which is adjacent to the Chapel of the Holy Spirit and Science wing of the Academic Building, has served the campus population well over the past four decades but was clearly due for upgrades and a facelift, according to University Librarian Gavin Ferriby. Ferriby oversees all library staff, services and collections, and represents the library to the wider community.
The Ryan Matura Library was named in 1993 for the parents of donor and University Trustee Robert J. Matura and his late wife Bernadette (Ryan) Matura. Mr. Matura has been a trustee since 1983, the same year he received an honorary doctorate from SHU. In 1996, he received the Bishop Curtis Medal of Honor and is also a member of the Knights of Malta.
In 2009, outside renovations to the library occurred, which included installation of new windows, external lighting, a new plaza, external water wall and several trees and other plantings. Until then, there had only been sporadic reorganizations and upgrades to the facility.
“It needed substantial updating of all building systems,” said Ferriby about the library prior to the latest overhaul, the planning of which began in November 2010 and renovations took place May to September 2011.
To that regard, the library has been decked out with a new roof, elevator, public restrooms, heating, ventilating and air-conditioning systems (HVAC) and refurbished sprinkler system. The first level was a key focus, receiving new carpeting, furniture, lighting, paneling and a new layout.
In fact, the first floor is now a model of modernity, transformed to a visually rich space that invites study and group learning. New features include nine group study rooms outfitted with flatscreen monitors, circulation and reference desks, several small reader-friendly collections (new books, popular reading and graphic literature), a new Starbucks® Library Café, improved student seating, 16 computer workstations (eight iMac, eight PC), a 24-foot wide art wall with selections from the University’s own collection, a water wall and administrative offices.
All of this is supported by 22 staff members, which includes librarians for reference, technical services and digital needs, as well as an archivist.
On November 2, in a half-hour rededication ceremony beginning at 2pm in the Starbucks Library Cafe, newly inaugurated President John J. Petillo, Ph.D., will offer remarks, joined by Ferriby who will introduce the team involved in the renovation effort: Architect Patrick Rose of Rose-Tiso of Fairfield; General Contractor, Turner Construction; and Marc Izzo, the Director of University Construction and primary overseer of the renovation for the University. A reception, with beverages and light snacks will immediately follow.
“This is the first step of several renovations for the library, that will better serve our users for decades to come,” Ferriby said.
