SMU – The Rees-Jones Library of the American West

Trevor Rees-Jones’ remarkable gift of books, maps, photographs, art, and ephemera of the American West is the catalyst for creation of a new special collections library for Southern Methodist University. A three-story plus basement addition to the existing main campus library, the 84,000 SF building will accommodate SMU’s existing DeGolyer Collection as well as the Rees-Jones collection, with capacity for approximately twenty years of ongoing acquisition. Secure and environmentally controlled spaces for preservation and storage of rare and valuable collection materials make up approximately 35% of the program.

Designed to be consistent with SMU’s Collegiate Georgian architecture, the new library will provide reading room and exhibit spaces designed to function both independently and together to support events of a hundred people or more, as well as new facilities for digital humanities research and teaching about the science of work with special collection materials. Staff spaces accommodate approximately 30 individuals, supporting activities from cataloging and archiving to materials conservation to digitization to exhibit preparation.