Whitman College has selected Thomas Hacker and Associates, a Portland, Oregon architectural firm, to design plans for the renovation and expansion of Penrose Memorial Library. Hacker and Associates were selected from a group of seven firms that responded to our request for proposals. Hacker and Associates are responsible for the recent renovation and expansion of the Watzek Library at Lewis and Clark College as well as the conversion of a commercial building into the striking Spokane Public Library.

It is expected that the design phase will require the firm's close attention until June '98, and they expect to visit at least once per month until then.

Fund raising for the project has been underway since the beginning of fall semester. President Cronin and the Development Office report that substantial progress has been made toward the eventual goal of some ten million dollars. It is expected that fund raising will continue through the next academic year.

Actual plans for the designs are in the preliminary stages, but some clear objectives have been established. We need to increase the number and improve the quality of student study spaces through the entire building. The Library must be brought into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The HVAC systems, installed in 1957 and 1973, must become one modern, efficient and reliable system. Space for our developing collections and new technology is desperately needed.