Liberty University breaks ground on new library

Liberty University honored its founder during a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday for the $50 million Jerry Falwell Library, set to open by fall 2013.

The undertaking is Libertys biggest project to date, and begins just two months shy of the fifth anniversary of the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr.s death.

Dozens of university and community leaders gathered behind the Schilling Center, where construction crews have begun work on a 170,000-square-foot library that combines Jeffersonian architecture with modern design. Falwell Sr.s wife, Macel, came to support the project, along with son Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor at Thomas Road Baptist Church, and other family members.

Hundreds of students were released early from convocation in the nearby Vines Center, swelling the crowd to approximately 5,000 people.

Three university leaders took the stage to memorialize Falwell Sr. LU co-founder Elmer Townes, provost Ron Godwin and Chancellor Jerry Falwell Jr.

Towns recounted the formative role books played during Falwell Sr.s college years, from The Bible to American classics.

It was those books that changed his life and became the foundation of Thomas Road Baptist Church, and ultimately became the foundation for Liberty University, Towns said.

Godwin praised the Board of Trustees for its unanimous decision to name the library after Falwell Sr., despite the founders vocal wish that no buildings bear his name. He said the library will represent the epitome of academic and technological excellence.

Liberty has outgrown its current facility in DeMoss Hall, which serves as the main academic building.

The four-story library will become a centerpiece of the campus, incorporating state-of-the art technology with student-friendly study spaces. It will house a memorial to Falwell Sr. and historical artifacts, including a recently acquired Dead Sea Scroll facsimile parchment currently on display at the Vatican in Rome.

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Liberty University breaks ground on new library