The state university, Universidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo (UASD) has opened its new, state-of-the-art library, named after national poet Pedro Mir, during a public function attended by President Leonel Fernandez. According to a report in Listin Diario, the building was refurbished at a cost of RD$250 million and has US$20 million worth of equipment. The Executive Branch has promised a separate budget for the library, which will be used to keep it updated. The building has 800 computers in virtual classrooms and approximately 55,000 books of all areas of knowledge-science, arts, literature and culture. The ceremony was also attended by Vice President Rafael Alburquerque, Higher Education Minister Ligia Amada Melo, Armed Forces Minister Sigfrido Pared Perez, and the Chancellor of Pontificia Universidad Madre y Maestra Msgr. Agripino Nunez Collado. UASD Chancellor Roberto Reyna highlighted the importance of the new library which is meant to be of use not only to students and researchers, but also for the general public.
Diario Libre mentions that President Fernandez offered an additional budget to keep the center updated with literary output from the Hispanic and Anglo-Saxon worlds. The building covers 240,000 square feet, and is divided into four levels. The first floor includes an auditorium with the latest equipment including a digital sound system, lights, a high-definition screen controlled by an automatic wireless system, seven-language simultaneous translation system, video conference and real-time internet transmission.
El Caribe points out that the Ministry of Public Works completed the project, which had been started during President Fernandez’s first term. Chancellor Reyna compared the center to the Library of Alexandria, saying that its purpose was to provide a center for intellectual conservation and development of international transcendence. A short power failure occurred when the President was touring the virtual classrooms during a video conference with the Watson Institute in Chicago.