The Joe and Rika Mansueto Library is the newest library of the University of Chicago, named after alumni Joe Mansueto and Rika Mansueto. The library has a capacity of 3.5 million volumes under an elliptical dome. It was designed by Helmut Jahn.History and ConstructionMansueto Library, designed by Chicago-based architect Helmut Jahn, consists of a glass-domed reading room, above high-density closed bookstacks which can be accessed through an automated storage and retrieval system. Mansueto allows the university to maintain the vast majority of its library holdings on campus in a centrally located facility, while creating space to accommodate new acquisitions for approximately 20 years.Planning for the library grew out of studies beginning in 2003, by a faculty task force because other campus libraries, primarily the Regenstein Library, were running out of space for new books. In 2005, the board of trustees approved building a high-density storage facility next to the Regenstein building. The choice of Helmut Jahn was made in February 2006. Construction began in 2008, and the building was dedicated in late 2011. Mansueto has won a number of prizes, including a Distinguished Building Award from the American Institute of Architects Chicago Chapter in 2011.FiguresFigures on the construction of the library: Height of the dome at the highest point: 35 feetLength: 240 feetWidth: 120 feetStorage capacity: 3.5 million volumesNorth American libraries with larger automated storage and retrieval systems: 0Typical book retrieval time: 5 minutes
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