The much anticipated event was held in the presence of H.E. US Ambassador to Greece Mr. Geoffrey R. Pyatt and USAID delegate Ms. Lauren Chitty
An event of special significance took place in the evening of January 23, at the ACG campus: a favorite spot among students, faculty and staff, the JSB Library acquired a renovated look and feel and a brand-new Digital Museum relating the institution’s proud history from 1875 to this day! Thanks to the hard work of the ACG Technical Services and the generous donation of USAID, renovation work was completed within a few months and now offers more and more modern spaces where ACG and non-ACG students alike will be able to study, do research, interact and make learning more collaborative and productive.
The JSB Library, which is at the heart of ACG’s academic infrastructure, is home to:
- 129,000 books & 316,000 ebooks
- 12 million academic articles & many more from magazines and other periodicals
- 1 million digital images
- 2,500 DVDs, videos, and CDs
The library also houses the ACG Archives and selected Special Collections.
In his welcome speech, President Dr. David G. Horner thanked the US Embassy in Greece and the US government and mentioned that this work serves a two-fold purpose consistent with ACG’s strategic plan:
To attract more international students, evolving into an international educational hub, and at the same time attract Greek students beyond the Athens market. ACG is home to 1,000 students from more than 200 universities around the world and especially the US. With respect to the Greek-speaking market, Dr. Horner noted that ACG has always been popular to young people from across Greece, and especially to students attending Greek public universities. Presently, students enrolled at Deree’s Parallel Study Program amount to over 1,000 and come from every public university in Greece.
Speaking of the library project the President said that it “is really going to enhance not just our campus experience, but it is going to enrich the community as well.” Dr. Horner also spoke in admiration of the new Digital Museum and the amazing possibilities technology can offer:
“If you can combine the latest in technology with the historical story of an institution like this one reaching back to Smyrna back in 1875 and all that has taken place not on American soil but first in Turkey, and for the last almost 100 years in Greece, it is a saga that is unique and the Digital Museum allows us to tell that story.”
In his speech, H.E. Ambassador Pyatt described the renovated library as “a gift not only to ACG students, but to the wider community” and praised the great tradition of the US in supporting educational institutions that combine Greek roots with the very best of American educational principles.
The new project will also benefit students outside ACG, said Vice President of Public Affairs Ms. Claudia Carydis, who announced ACG’s synergy with the Municipality of Aghia Paraskevi, whereby students from local schools will have access to the library, learn how to do research and use digital resources and databases, as well as familiarize themselves with a world-class library.
