Welcome to the Knowledge Center!

Looking for help with research or just a comfortable place to study? Completed in 2008, the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center features the technology, spaces, and services you need. Computing and information technologies and support are combined with the latest in multimedia tools and the resources of the University library in a physical environment designed for comfort, efficiency and collaboration.

Features of the "KC"

Our 295,000-square-foot building brings together the collections, technology, experts, and services you need.

Technology

In addition to housing hundreds of computer workstations, the Knowledge Center also offers students and faculty access to advanced lendable technology and specialty labs. It also serves as the home for the Information Technology Help Desk and the Office of Digital Learning.

Experts

Need help with a class project? Need to learn more about tools to process your research data? The Research and Instructional Services department, located in the Knowledge Center is ready to help. The building is also home to the technical teams that support the Libraries' online services and physical collections.

Collections

Ranging from physical books to unique primary sources, the Knowledge Center has the collections to support research and learning on campus. The circulation, interlibrary loan, and course reserves teams, all of which are in the building, are ready to help you find and borrow the content from these collections and beyond.

Student works with a team member in the Basque Library

Spaces for discovery and collaboration

The Knowledge Center is home to several dynamic spaces, including @One Digital Media and Technology Center, the Basque Library, and Special Collections and University Archives. It also offers a variety of study, classroom, and event spaces.

 

Creating the Knowledge Center

The library plans are propped up in display with a baseball cap placed on the edge of the plans. ID: UNRA-P3600-00245

When the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center opened in August of 2008, it did so with a focus on the synergy between technology, people, and the creation of knowledge. “I think the critical word here is convergence,” said the late University President Milton Glick of the building. “What we are seeing is a convergence of the historic library, the printed page and technology. In a very real sense, the new Knowledge Center is the physical manifestation of this convergence.”

Named for its largest benefactors, the Mathewson Family and International Game Technology, the facility houses five floors of resources, multimedia labs, the MARS robotic storage center, study spaces, and administrative offices.

  • The beginning of the Knowledge Center's concrete foundation being poured. Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, 2006, UNRA-P3600-00219.
  • The dome formation is being constructed on the ground with pieces of the library skeleton in the background. Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, 2006, UNRA-P3600-00226.
  • Welders working on the railings on a balcony that overlooks the E.J. Cord Foundation Atrium. Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, 2007, UNRA-P3600-00267.
  • Construction workers putting the finishing touches on the Knowledge Center's dome. Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, 2007, UNRA-P3600-00331.
  • The Frank and Joan Randall Rotunda during construction. Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, 2007, UNRA-P3600-00409.
  • The exterior of the Knowledge Center taking shape, with a combination of brickwork and metal framing visible behind scaffolding. Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, 2007, UNRA-P3600-00291.
  • Carol Parkhurst, Senior Director of University Libraries and project manager for the Knowledge Center, standing inside the completed building. Special Collections and University Archives Photograph Collection, 2007, UNRA-P3600-01900.