NORMAN — When putting together a list of the great, established libraries in the world, schools like Oxford, Yale and Johns Hopkins are considered shoo-ins.
Add the University of Oklahoma to that list.
Bizzell Memorial Library has been named one of the 18 most stunning libraries in the world by Architectural Digest.
Built with a Cherokee Gothic style on the outside that hints at its expansive Native American histories collection inside, the library is now mentioned in the same breath as some of the best in the world — the Peabody Library at Johns Hopkis, Queen’s College at Oxford and even the Library of the Sorbonne at Paris-Sorbonne University in France.
“In part, what’s happening here is we’ve raised the visibility of library and university to where people who would have blown over us before, we’re now on the map,” said Carl Grant, associate dean of Knowledge Services and chief technology officer. “I’ve been out giving speeches around the globe because of what we’re doing here. Another indicator is, most of the time, (other entities) pay all of the travel expenses for me to come visit.”
Architectural Digest’s list includes traditional and modern buildings alike. It refers to Bizzell as “beautifully designed” and its National Historic Landmark status since 2001.
“This recognition of Bizzell Memorial Library as one of the most stunning university libraries in the world is truly well deserved,” OU President David Boren said in a release. “It is not only an academic and architectural treasure for the state of Oklahoma, but also for the nation and world.”
Grant said the library has seen an increase in notoriety thanks to changes and additions on the inside. Under Dean of University Libraries Richard Luce, Grant said Bizzell has been a trend setter.
“We have a lot of resources,” Grant said. “Knowledge is no longer just expressed in books and journals; it’s in images, in sounds, in virtual reality. It’s a rapidly evolving environment for libraries.”
Traffic has increased in the library so much, Grant said, that crews spent the summer fixing stairs and replacing the worn carpet with tile floors. More people are coming to the library to use its learning labs and places like Innovation @ the Edge, where students can use 3-D printers and virtual reality for classes and projects.
“What we’re seeing here is the library, under the last four years under leadership of Dean Luce, has been repositioning itself on campus and become an intellectual crossroads on campus,” Grant said.
• Residential colleges ready: The first official move-in date for OU students isn’t until Aug. 9, but those who will live in two new residential colleges will get a chance to do so a little earlier.
Move-in for Headington and Dunham Colleges will begin on time Tuesday. Mark Morvant, Dunham College senior fellow, said the residential colleges are currently above 91 percent capacity.
He expects students to continue signing up to live there through Aug. 15.
Minor construction will be ongoing when students move in, Morvant said, but all of the rooms will be completed on schedule.
“There are always things that need to be corrected in a new construction project,” Morvant said. “Therefore, there will be some minor projects that need to be completed. We are also waiting for some of the furniture to come in for the common areas on the first floor, but the students’ rooms are furnished and ready to go.”
