Construction & Exhibits Update
July 23, 2008

Construction of New Spaces Slated to Begin in August

The Wittliff Collections, on the seventh floor of the Alkek Library at Texas State University-San Marcos, are undergoing a major expansion this summer and early fall to increase exhibition space for photographs and materials from both the Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection and the Southwestern Writers Collection.

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 major papers are housed at the Southwestern Writers Collection.

The enlarged gallery area will allow more of the Southwestern & Mexican Photography Collection to be on view, 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 August, with October or November 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.

Archives & Exhibits

To serve researchers and students, the archives and supplementary materials (books, serials, DVDs, etc.) will continue to be accessible throughout construction during posted weekday hours and by appointment.

The seventh floor exhibit spaces have been cleared for construction. In the interim, Props and costumes, Bill Wittliff’s photographs and scripts, and other “making of” materials from the major production archives of the Lonesome Dove Collection are on view on the Alkek Library’s first floor during regular library hours. Satellite exhibits are also on display at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Fall exhibit and event dates are still in flux, pending project completion. Check The Wittliff’s online Exhibits & Events Calendar for updates.

Hours Updated Regularly

Summer hours fluctuate at Texas State’s Alkek Library, and hours at The Wittliff Collections may vary as construction progresses. For up-to-the-minute information, call (512) 245-2313 or click the HOURS link on the website: http://www.thewittliffcollections.txstate.edu.