The expansive first floor lobby and light-filled atrium’s stunning artwork designed by USF alumnus Robert Calvo features three sculptures representing the great libraries of Alexandria, Nineveh, and Pergamum.
Embedded in the building’s walls inside and out are the artist’s sculpted bronze hands holding words representing the enduring values of scholarship: wisdom, courage, inspiration, justice, beauty, tolerance, diversity, and truth. Learn about the Library’s artwork here.
The lobby is the only public entryway to the more than 300,000 items (including books, periodicals, microforms, and archival materials) that the library holds, as well as the computer labs, reserve materials, Instructional Media Center, and all other library services. The lobby adjoins the primary computer commons, the café-style seating for laptop use, and a variety of study spaces. Special exhibits are occasionally arranged with external partners for some of the space. Requests to use the lobby and atrium for special events and exhibits must be approved by the Library Dean.
The first floor has been completely redesigned and refurbished utilizing the latest design principles and informed by student and faculty input. The newly completed Jeanne and Bill Heller Scholars’ Loungeoverlooking Bayboro Harbor – possible through the generosity of Dean of Education Bill Heller and his wife Jeanne — features comfortable furnishings and glass walls to provide a degree of privacy and quiet in an otherwise very busy and collaborative open study space.