Why Now?

A 21st-Century Library by Design

Research methods and study habits have changed dramatically since the last expansion of the Emma Waters Summar library in the mid-1980s.

Thanks to the emergence of the Internet-based tools and improved technologies, information sharing among sources and scholars around the globe is both immediate and extensive. Students are more apt to study out loud in small groups rather than alone at a table.

At universities across the country, older facilities have been retrofitted for technology and group study rooms. Union University has a rare opportunity to build - from the ground up - a library tailored to 21st-century specifications.

Gift Matching

Because a generous foundation has chosen to invest in this new vision of a 21st-century library at Union University, donors have a unique opportunity to double their gifts.

Every dollar given or pledged will be matched under the following terms: all gifts and pledged gifts made through December 2012 will be matched dollar for dollar up to a total of $10 million. In the case of pledged gifts, fulfillment would not be expected until December 2014.

This is a moment of great historical significance in the life of an institution that traces its roots to 1823. Now is the time to build a library that can endure well into the third century of Union University's service to Church and society.

By The Numbers

• Enrollment at Union when current library opened - 1,000
• Fall enrollment at launch of library campaign - more than 4,000
• Current square footage of Emma Waters Summar Library - less than 30,000
• Approximate square footage in new three-story library - 60,000
• Matching gift for new library - $10,000,000
• Estimated cost of new library - $18,000,000