News Release — June 4, 2008

Construction to begin on Wittliff Collections expansion

SAN MARCOS, Texas— The Wittliff Collections, on the seventh floor of the Alkek Library at Texas State University-San Marcos, will undergo a major expansion this summer to increase exhibition space for photographs and collection materials. Renovation plans also include a new formal entrance to welcome visitors, the relocation of the front office, and an enlarged reading room for researchers, to be named for author Cormac McCarthy, whose archives were recently acquired by the Southwestern Writers Collection.

The enlarged gallery area will allow more of the Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection to be displayed, drawing from the growing archive of almost 15,000 prints. As part of the new entrance, a hallway leading to the new exhibition space will be built to display large art pieces and objects from both collections. The expanded reading room will accommodate more patrons in an inviting, research-conducive setting. Relocating the front office will provide a new central contact point for visitors.

The signature longleaf pine and southwestern design accents used in the current spaces will be carried throughout the new areas. Construction is slated to begin in late July, with October as the target for completion. Dedication celebrations are being planned.

Michael Guarino, of the San Antonio firm Ford, Powell & Carson, Inc., is lead architect for the redesign. The university project manager in charge of construction is Bill G. Tomlinson.

Exhibition Schedule Revised
Anticipating the start of construction, the collections’ exhibition schedule has been revised (see below), to reflect a closing date of July 20 on all in-house displays. Future dates are still in flux, pending project completion. Satellite exhibits will be mounted at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in the interim, beginning July 2. Updates to the Wittliff’s online events and exhibits calendar will be made as fall approaches and renovations are completed.

Hours Updated Regularly
Summer hours fluctuate at Texas State’s Alkek Library, and hours at The Wittliff Collections may vary as construction progresses. To serve researchers, the archives will continue to be accessible throughout construction during posted weekday hours and by appointment. For up-to-the-minute information, call (512) 245-2313 or go to the website.