New $29 million Coastal Carolina library nears completion
CONWAY, S.C. (WBTW) — Coastal Carolina University’s new $29 million Thompson Library is nearing completion.
Crews have been hard at work making sure the library is ready just in time to welcome students for the fall semester. The project earned approval back in February 2021.
The new library will include more space, natural light, a virtual reality and data visualization lab, 3-D printers, individual studios for video and audio production and a new Starbucks.
“We wanted to create a facility that built synergy between library services and student success services on campus,” said Melvin Davis, CCU Librarian. “We thought this is a perfect format to colocate these entities into a single facility.”
Students use the current Kimbell Library on campus, but officials said with record-breaking enrollment year after year, there’s a need for more spaces for academic success.
Davis said the new library will look “fantastic for prospective students.”
Mason Mccue, a senior, said he’s happy about the new addition on campus.
“Everytime I go to the library we have now, there’s like 1,000 people,” he said. “So, I think it’s nice to have another place to go.”
Wilson Clemmons, a junior, said she loves having many different opportunities and facilities on campus.
Thompson Library is expected to be completed in May. The remodeling of the current Kimbell Library, which is the second phase of the project, will begin right after.
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Gracie is a multimedia journalist at News 13 and is from Cleveland, Ohio. Gracie joined the team in June 2023 after graduating from the University of Alabama in May. Follow Gracie on Facebook, Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, & read more of her work here.
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