The Future Carrier Library

Preserving the past; creating new futures
The Carrier Library of 2026 and beyond will enable Dukes and community members to learn from the past and create new futures. Whether exploring well-preserved local history materials or designing a virtual reality landscape, students and researchers will benefit from the spaces and services made possible by this renovation and expansion. The new Carrier Library will be one that befits JMU’s status as a national university.
An intellectual and literal crossroads for campus
By providing connective paths between nearby buildings and removing physical barriers to access, the design of the new Carrier Library encourages the flow of people, ideas, and creativity. A library is an intellectual crossroads for any community or institution that it’s a part of, and the new Carrier Library will now be a literal crossroads for JMU.
Opening up and welcoming all
A beautiful and accessible new entrance facing Grace Street and a welcoming arc at the redesigned existing entrance will visibly demonstrate JMU’s openness and commitment to engage with the broader community and the world. Whether entering through the preserved 1939 entrance or one of these two new grand entrances, visitors will be welcomed by light-filled, airy spaces that lead intuitively to various features of Carrier Library.

including the large windows (on the left) that will face Grace Street

Features
- centers universal design, exceeding the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- 24-hour student study space
- quiet, inspiring reading rooms and browseable book collections
- terraces and outdoor spaces
- consultation and group study rooms
- universal restrooms on every floor
- lactation space and relaxation room
- makerspace and experimental technology classroom
- video and audio/podcasting studios
- a new home for the Furious Flower Poetry Center
- new facilities for Special Collections and a lab for the conservation of books and manuscripts
- a café and social space
- a student kitchenette and vending machines
- new library and educational technology service desks
- new spaces for library instruction, innovative educational technology, digital scholarship, and distinctive collections
Size
56,400 square feet of new construction
121,200 square feet of renovation
Planned construction start date
After graduation in May 2023 (learn more)
Estimated reopening of Carrier Library
Fall 2026
Architects
RAMSA + Moseley Architects
