Joyner Library Expansion

During the 1990s and early 2000s, Joyner Library underwent another major phase of growth. The transition from traditional card catalogs began in the ‘80s and resulted in the adoption of the Horizon system by 1994, the same year the card catalog was retired. From 1994 to 1999, a three-phase expansion and renovation project added 17 miles of shelving, 250 public computer workstations, 100 graduate student study carrels, 75 faculty study carrels, and 36 group study rooms. Departments including Cataloging, Interlibrary Loan Services, the North Carolina Collection, Special Collections, and University Archives were relocated into the expanded space. Sonic Plaza, constructed between 1991 and 1998, upgraded the library’s exterior, and the Langford-Joyner Clock Tower was dedicated in 2001.

Photograph of Construction work on the Drum addition to Joyner Library

Construction work on Drum addition to Joyner Library. 1994-1999. Visual Media: Black and White Images. UA55.01.13670. East Carolina University Digital Collections. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/64425. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

Image of Joyner Library Exterior on ECU Campus

Joyner Library. 1999-2010. Visual Media: Slides. UA55.03.20113. East Carolina University Digital Collections. https://digital.lib.ecu.edu/51801. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.