College and university libraries have served one central purpose since they were first created: they closely connected with and supported the educational mission of the institutions that built them. In the past, an academic librarys achievement was judged on the number of volumes it held. Modern technologies and the ever-increasing digitization of information resources, while not yet replacing enormous collections accumulated over decades or centuries, have forced a reappraisal of what a 21st century library should be. If, as many futurists predict, all manner of research material is available through network connections, what purpose does brick and mortar serve?

Enter FLITE. In the months that followed groundbreaking on April 14, 1999, up to the day we opened our doors to the public, March 12, 2001, the campus community and our Big Rapids neighbors wondered what we were up to. Yes, as President Sederburg has said on many occasions, our purpose was to create a signature building. And to the extent that FLITE is a building like none other on the campus of Ferris State University, we brilliantly achieved that goal. However, unlike ambitious libraries of the 20th century, aspiring to multi-million volume collections, FLITE is set on an entirely different pathconcentrating first and foremost on the user. Judging from their reactions over the first months of operation, they love FLITE!

The physicality of a building inspires many feelings. A visit to a great cathedral, temple or pyramid leaves an impression not soon forgotten. The psychological impact of skyscrapers, museums, or even a well-planned airport or shopping mall is well known. In FLITE, I believe the most overwhelming impression, apart from its intrinsic beauty of symmetry and design, is the feeling that YOU ARE WELCOME HERE! The lighting, the generous and varied seating and workspaces, the study areas, the computers - all converge to project a place in which one wants to linger and explore.

Now that the building is done, the really exciting aspects of FLITE are just beginning to unfold. The assemblage in one building of a team of librarians, graphic and multimedia experts, computer technicians and pedagogical specialists has begun to spin off the kinds of collaborations that we only dreamed of in years gone by. 

The ceremony this booklet commemorates is a dedication of a building, but for those of us who work here, ours is an unending dedication of purpose and service to the Ferris community. Our goal of providing a myriad of information resources for our users is matched by our aspiration to help every Ferris student become literate in the retrieval, use, and critical analysis of information resources. The accomplishment of both of these goals in a building as grand and memorable as FLITE will be a legacy none will forget.

- Richard Cochran, Dean of FLITE