Student Body President Jen Daum spoke these words Monday at the re-opening of the Undergraduate Library, closed for renovations for the past 20 months.
Several speeches, a performance by the Clef Hangers and a ribbon cutting by Daum and Chancellor James Moeser celebrated the library's opening.
David Taylor, librarian of the Undergrad for 27 years, spoke to the crowd of about 200 students, faculty and government officials about the benefits the library will provide students.
The Undergrad has seen many changes since its opening in 1968, he said, but nothing this drastic. The renovation's total bill was $9.8 million.
"We wanted a building that was worthy of the students," Taylor said in his speech. "We wanted a library where people could not only watch movies, but make a movie."
Taylor was referring to a new laboratory with digital video editing equipment that any student can use. There are also plasma televisions, an expanded computer lab, new study rooms and furniture by Thomas Moser, a premier manufacturer of library furniture.
In his speech, the chancellor thanked many donors for providing the financial support for the renovation. The project was the first to be completed using funds from the $3.1 billion N.C. Higher Education Bond, passed in 2000, he said.
"To the voters of North Carolina, I say thank you," Moeser said. "Any citizen of North Carolina can come and use this library, which was renovated for its sons and daughters."
The new Undergrad is a step toward ensuring that UNC is the top public university in the nation, Moeser said. "We are celebrating a library that is a pillar of academic freedom and strength. The combination of a great library, academic freedom and a great staff is a privilege and a necessity," he said.
