Whittaker library

Situated at the heart of South Carolina State University's campus, the new 50,000-square-foot, two-story Whittaker Library is conceived as the intellectual and social center of the university place where learning, research, and campus life converge. Replacing the existing library, the building reimagines the academic library as an open, flexible environment that responds to the evolving ways students and faculty create, share, and access knowledge. More than a repository of books, it is a connected ecosystem of study, collaboration, innovation, and community, designed to support both individual discovery and collective exchange. The library also becomes the home of SCSU's Honors College, integrating advanced scholarship into the daily life of the campus and creating new opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, research, and academic excellence.

The building is organized to maximize openness and interaction while accommodating an extensive collection through high-density storage. This strategy liberates space for a diverse range of learning environments, including flexible study and collaboration areas, technology-rich research spaces, quiet reading rooms, and archives that celebrate the university's history and legacy. Program elements include a digital media lab, maker space, computer lab, multipurpose rooms, study rooms of varying scales, a flexible staff workspace, café, and Honors College suite. A generous gathering stair, expansive ground-level porch, and second-floor roof terrace extends learning beyond enclosed rooms, transforming the library into a vibrant civic destination where the academic, social, and cultural life of the university intersect.