Silverman Library Reopening

Good afternoon!

Thank you all for joining us as we celebrate the grand re-opening of the Silverman Library!

As I always say, transformative projects are never the work of just one person—it takes the effort of so many people working together to make this happen. And this Heart of the Campus project is for our entire university community.

I would like to thank and recognize several people with us today including:

• Members of the UB Council and UB Foundation.
• Members of the Silverman family who have joined us today.
• I would also like to recognize and thank Assemblyman Robin Schimminger for his continued support of UB.
• Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs Scott Weber, and Vice Provost Austin Booth and her University Libraries team, for their dedicated effort in overseeing this project.
• I also want to thank the architecture, engineering, and construction companies who helped make this a reality.

Looking around here today, it is exciting to see the new, innovative space created in this phase of our “Heart of the Campus” project—part of UB’s vision to create a state-of the-art living and learning environment for our students across all of our campuses. And I am sure our students are eager for the opportunity to make great use of this space that is designed to encourage them to work with their peers across disciplines.

I am also delighted that this library will continue to carry the name Oscar A. Silverman, a legendary UB English Professor who served the university for nearly 50 years and had a significant impact on UB. A former department chair and director of the Libraries, UB’s Undergraduate Library was officially named in honor of Dr. Silverman in 1982.

Under Professor Silverman’s watch, UB saw a major expansion of the Libraries’ collection. During his eight-year tenure as Libraries director,

Dr. Silverman more than doubled the collection, achieving UB’s “one millionth book” in 1968. Dr. Silverman also played a key role in the acquisition of UB’s renowned James Joyce collection.

Of course, while some aspects of today’s libraries at UB are similar to the time of Dr. Silverman—they are also very different. This renovated space will better accommodate the technological needs of today’s students.

It is exciting to envision the innovative and collaborative work our students will be able to achieve in this re-imagined space. The Silverman Library is a shining example of the 21st century learning environment we are providing for our students so they are prepared to making lasting contributions to society.

Congratulations to the University Libraries on the grand reopening of such an inspiring space—one I am sure will be very popular with our students.

And sincerest thanks, again, to all of you who have made this possible.