Media Release | Oct. 3, 2002
UBC grad Ike Barber to donate $20 million for new Learning
Centre
UBC alumnus Irving K. (Ike) Barber, founding chairman of
Slocan Forest Products Ltd., today announced a $20 million
donation to transform UBC's Main Library.
The B.C. Government will contribute $10 million, and UBC
will match the sum of these donations for a total of $60 million
to build the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.
"Mr. Barber's vision and extraordinary gift have given
us the opportunity to create a vital learning resource for
UBC students and teachers, as well as the wider community,"
said UBC President Martha Piper.
"Ike is an outstanding British Columbian, and his generosity
and dedication to education are creating new opportunities
for learners all across our province," said the Hon.
Gordon Campbell, Premier of British Columbia. "I want
to thank Ike and the University of B.C. for their leadership,
and the opportunity for the province to be a partner in this
exceptional project."
The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre will be constructed
around the core of the Main Library, which opened in 1925,
to add more than 200,000 new square feet of inside floor space
and 46,000 square feet of renovated floor space, fully equipped
to support wireless technology both inside and out.
In making the gift, Barber said it is his wish that the Centre
be accessible to all British Columbians, whether they visit
in person, by phone or electronically, as well as to learners
worldwide. "My motivation to make this gift comes from
the people of B.C.," said Barber. "My hope is that
the Centre will provide lifelong learning support for people
throughout the province and world-wide and enable them to
work together to build a better British Columbia by sharing
knowledge and information resources. Through this facility,
we've created the opportunity. Now it is up to British Columbians
to use it." When completed in 2005, the Centre will be
the first in Canada to integrate information resources and
services, and interdisciplinary learning support facilities
under one roof.
The Centre will house smart classrooms, open computer labs,
seminar rooms, distance learning support activities, some
of UBC's innovative interdisciplinary learning programs such
as Arts One and Science One, and a laptop loan program for
UBC and community users. As the gateway to UBC's extensive
library systems and to other library collections around the
world, the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre will boast Canada's
first automated storage and retrieval system for the library's
print collection, and a fireproof and climate-controlled vault
for the library's rare books, archives and special collections.
"Mr. Barber's donation is an investment in the future
of British Columbia," said Piper. "And it reflects
his dedication to the intellectual, social, cultural, and
economic development of the people of this province, by supporting
and enhancing the environment for learning here."
Biographical
information on Mr. Barber and background
on the Centre are also available.
-30-
|
 |
|
|
Contact
Michelle Cook
UBC Public Affairs
Tel: 604.822.2048
E-mail: michelle.cook@ubc.ca
|
