Vaughn College has expanded its online library collection to more than 70,000 electronic books. Combined with its estimated 37,000 hard-copy volumes and 20,000 academic journals, periodicals and newspapers available in traditional and electronic form, the College’s library now boasts more than 125,000 titles.

“It’s a sign that the library is definitely going in the right direction,” Librarian Jo Ann Jayne said. “These new books cover all disciplines, from English to aviation to engineering.”

The library began an online initiative five years ago with about 30,000 volumes. By last year, that collection had grown to 54,000 before adding another 16,000-plus this summer. The online expansion coincides with the development of a new library/learning commons area, scheduled to open in 2012.

The library project anticipates a facility that students will feel inspired, and not compelled, to visit. Triple the size of the existing library, it will include information technology support and the resources of the College’s Teaching and Learning Center. Visitors can expect to see fewer traditional bookshelves and a more relaxed atmosphere, including a coffee bar, where students can congregate during a break from assignments.

“The new library will look to the future,” Jayne said. “There will be less shelf space but what will be on the shelves, we want to be current. The idea of a library being a space where everyone is quiet is obsolete.”

Click to see renderings of the planned new library.