A Room that Continues to Inspire
"The library is not a side issue, but rather the pulsing heart of the University."
"The library is not a side issue, but rather the pulsing heart of the University."
Louis Round Wilson once wrote: “The library is not a side issue, but rather the pulsing heart of the University.”
Before the library that bears his name opened in 1929, Wilson envisioned a bold structure that would herald Carolina as a modern research institution. It should inspire all who entered its doors to discover new knowledge. Wilson Library’s Grand Reading Room does this inspirational work with its high ceilings, majestic rotunda and ornate columns. The room has stories to tell; it has housed rare books, served as backdrop to ground-breaking research and has been a destination for quiet introspection and study. It even hosted filming of Patch Adams starring Robin Williams.
In fall 2016, Florence Fearrington ’58 made a $5 million giftOpens in new window in support of the Louis Round Wilson Special Collections Library —the largest ever made to Carolina’s libraries. In recognition, Wilson Library’s Grand Reading Room is now the Fearrington Reading Room.
