Brand-New Library Completed as Oral Roberts University Begins Classes

Thursday was the first day of classes for Oral Roberts University and students are returning to a brand-new space on campus with the completion of the J.D. McKean Library.

Dr. Mark Hall is the dean of the library. He said, "It started with turning the shovel of dirt and now it is this beautiful library that we all get to enjoy, and our students especially are excited."

The university broke ground on the new library on October 20, 2021. Nearly two years later it stands ready to welcome a new generation of Golden Eagles. "We tried to make it a destination place where students will come and learn and study, but also have a little fun along the way," said Dr. Hall.

Like any library, it is equipped with books and study rooms, but the technology is what really sets it apart. "We have spaces where up to four students can take their laptops, and each put them up on the screen and they can look at them, compare, and evaluate," Dr. Hall continued saying, "It brings collaboration to a new level."

The new building also has a green room. Dr. Hall said, "We can have people sit down and interview, we can have faculty record lectures, and students can practice for presentations in class."

When students are feeling creative, the new Innovation Station has them covered with a 3D printer, music station, VR headsets, and flight simulator. "That room is a place where students can go and have what we call experiential learning," Dr. Hall said. "So, it is not just sitting there listening to a lecture it is actually moving into a new personal experience with the subject matter."

On the top floor of the J.D. McKean Library is where the university set up the Holy Spirit Resource Center, a collection of the Pentecostal movement ORU has been compiling since 1962.

Dr. Hall said, "People come from all over the world to study the Holy Spirit and here at their fingertips, they have all the things that they need to supplement that."

With each unique feature, he said this library puts ORU on the map. "We are very excited about the future, and we believe that students will continue to come to ORU, and this will be one of the points of attraction for them."

In total, construction of the new library cost $18 million and was funded by donors. The university will hold a grand opening and ribbon-cutting celebration on Friday, August 18.

The old building will be renovated into a new center for global leadership.