Construction on a new, $152 million library at LSU is expected to start in 2026, university officials say — and it won't be in the same place as the old one.
The new Library Learning Commons will be built between South Campus Drive and South Stadium Drive near Field House Drive, said Paul Favaloro, LSU's interim executive director of planning, design and construction. It's part of a strategic push to create another quadrangle adjacent to Patrick F. Taylor Hall as LSU's campus changes.
"The future growth of our campus is going toward the south," Favaloro said.?
The school's main library, formerly known as Middleton Library, will be demolished once the new one is finished. That will leave the current "quad" open in the cross shape it had before the library went up in 1958.
Last week, LSU posted polls on social media asking readers which of two?possible designs?they preferred.?
If construction happens on schedule, the new building is expected to be open in the spring of 2029, Favaloro said. A combination of state funds and private donations will pay for the project, he said.
Two academic buildings will be demolished to make way for the new Library Learning Commons — the electrical engineering building and the Manship Research facility.
The electrical engineering space will move to the renovated Jessie Coates Hall, and the Manship research program will move to a newly renovated space at Pleasant Hall, Favaloro said.?
More than a half-century old, the current library is a frequent sore spot for some faculty and staff. Professors and students occasionally post pictures of water-damaged ceilings, worn-out furniture and other problems.
"The current library is outdated, with over $40 million in deferred maintenance," said Favaloro.?
The library was long named after Troy H. Middleton, a former LSU president and World War II general. But his name was removed in 2020 after criticism of his support for segregation and opposition to integrating LSU.?
The new building will be called the Library Learning Commons, "a new trend in peer institutions, designed to create more involvement and collaboration," Favaloro said. The building will be decked out with the latest technology to help students and faculty.