The Bigger Picture: Edgar Shannon Library Shines

April 4, 2024 By Alice Berry, aberry@virginia.edu Alice Berry, aberry@virginia.edu

Members of the University of Virginia community, and people from around Charlottesville and beyond, flocked to the newly renovated Edgar Shannon Library on Thursday for its grand opening.

Students had the chance to write what they loved about the remake. Answers ranged from the newly bright spaces to the hundreds of thousands of books that Shannon houses.

On Thursday, visitors were treated to a children’s literature pop-up library, a look at student life through the ages, a virtual reality demonstration of Byzantine architecture, and more.

The day’s festivities were capped by remarks from University President Jim Ryan, Vice Rector Carlos Brown, University Librarian John Unsworth, Lois Shannon (one of the children of the library’s namesake, who was UVA’s fourth president), state Sen. Creigh Deeds and others.

It was such a blustery day University Professor Larry Sabato remarked he was "cold enough to run with Jim," but the weather didn't put a damper on the occasion.

Look for more on the day’s celebration in Monday’s UVA Today Daily Report.

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Alice Berry

University News Associate Office of University Communications