SARASOTA, Fla., Feb. 12, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Marking a milestone for a project years in the making, the topping out ceremony for the new, state-of-the-art library at Ringling College of Art and Design took place Thursday, February 12th campus. During the program, Dr. Larry R. Thompson, President of Ringling College, announced the facility will be named for Ringling College honorary life trustee and friend, Dr. Alfred R. Goldstein.
When asked about his commitment to the new library, Dr. Goldstein replied, "As far as I am concerned, the library is the heart and brain of the entire institution. It is the core, which is why it is so important to have the most modern, up-to-date facilities."
The newly hired Director of Library Services, Kristina Keough, was also introduced to the community at the event. Keough, scheduled to start in her new position on February 15, remarked, "I look forward to working closely with Ringling College and the Sarasota community as we bring the new library to completion and beginning planning new initiatives in support of teaching and learning."
Ms. Keogh comes to Ringling College from Indiana University Bloomington where she was the Head of the Fine Arts Library, which was located within the university Art Museum and the School of Fine Arts and supported the art and design programs on the Bloomington campus. In her new position at Ringling College, Kristina will serve as a key strategic partner in the delivery and support of academic programs and will report to the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty. She will also be part of the development of the new Ringling College Library, which is under construction and is scheduled to be completed in late 2016.
"We are excited to have Kristina join our team as Director of Library Services," said Ringling College Vice President for Academic Affairs Jeff Bellantoni. "She brings with her the experience of managing a large scale art library and her vision of transforming ordinary areas into creative spaces that encourage learning, research, and engagement."
Previously, Kristina was the Visual Arts Research Librarian at Virginia Commonwealth University where she worked closely with the School of the Arts facilitating research within the studio environment. Kristina also received her PhD in Art History from VCU. A (transplanted) Florida native, Kristina has held positions and studied throughout the state - from Tallahassee to Fort Lauderdale and just about everywhere in between. She has also worked abroad, which included a year spent managing Florida State University's Florence, Italy Study Center Library and a short exchange placement working with design students at VCUarts Qatar campus in Doha's Education City.
On-site to celebrate the Alfred R. Goldstein Library were members and supporters of the Ringling College community, former Director of Library Services Kathleen List, Willis Smith Construction, Sweet Sparkman Architects, Shepley Bullfinch, and the Ringling College Library Association. Visitors attended a breakfast and reception held on the first floor of the new library site, currently under construction, where they had the opportunity to sign their names directly to the walls, where they will be memorialized forever.
Delivering remarks about the history and vision of the project, Dr. Thompson said, "Today we celebrate the realization of a dream in the making. This library will be the "Library of the Future" right here on Ringling College's campus. We pay tribute on this day to all the hours, effort, coordination, and hard work that a project of this magnitude demands. From the leadership of the fundraising effort led by Isabel Norton and Carolyn Johnson, to the extraordinary, continued support of our friend and trustee Dr. Goldstein and our community. Today is a triumph for us all."
On schedule to open this fall, the new $18 million, state-of-the-art library sits at 46,000 square feet offering ample room for the entire Ringling College collection—30% of which is currently housed off campus due to storage limitations. Architecturally stunning, the very building itself is designed to adapt and grow with new technologies to come. Furthermore, the library has been designed to encourage collaboration, with moveable furniture, adaptable workstations, and areas dedicated to thinking out loud. The new library will be an active physical and virtual destination on the Ringling College campus—an intellectual, cultural, social, creative, and technological hub alive with the ebb and flow of students, faculty, and visitors.
Located at the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way and Old Bradenton Road, the new facility will serve the Ringling College students, faculty, and staff, in addition to the greater Sarasota and Manatee community for art research.
You can view the progress of the library construction in real time at: http://www.ringling.edu/library-webcam
About Ringling College of Art and Design
For nearly 85 years, Ringling College of Art and Design has cultivated the creative spirit in students from around the globe. The private, not-for-profit fully accredited college offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in eleven disciplines and the Bachelor of Arts in two. The College's rigorous curriculum employs the studio model of teaching and immediately engages students through a comprehensive, first-year program that is both specific to the major of study and focused on the liberal arts. The Ringling College teaching model ultimately shapes students into highly employable and globally aware artists and designers. For more information please visit the Ringling College website at www.ringling.edu, follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter or call 941.351.5100.
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CONTACT:Rich Schineller
rschinel@ringling.edu
941.780.8100
Stephanie Lederer
slederer@ringling.edu
941.309.4110
