The Mississippi State legislature has provided $200,000 to fund a fourth floor expansion of the Mitchell Memorial Library.
Stephen Cunetto, administrator of systems at Mitchell Memorial Library, said so far the plans of expansion include the addition of another floor on the back corner of the reading room just above the third floor.
“Our plan is to have the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library exhibit area and the Congressional and Political Research exhibit area added to this floor,” Cunetto said. “This will take up the majority of that area because we want it to be a museum exhibit area for the collection because having the presidential library here is a pretty big deal. We want to display those materials, and then also display those materials that are in the Congressional Political Research Center.”
Cunetto said the funding money will be used for planning to contract with an architect in deciding details of design, functional areas and concluding technical requirements for the new room. Additional money will be requested for the actual building and construction.
“It’s been on the university’s plan for a couple of years for this expansion to happen. It might take two to three years to get through with the project,” Cunetto said. 
At this point, the expansion is an extra floor, but there are some possibilities of other areas of expansion. Within discussions upon meeting with architects, other ideas of putting it in the green space between the library and the Hand Lab have come about, but our original thought has always been to add to the fourth floor. We have to make sure the floors beneath it can withstand the fourth floor above it, so that’s still a part of the structural planning as well,” Cunetto said.
Frances Coleman, dean of MSU Libraries, said the bureau buildings in Jackson, Miss., are in charge of the structural expansion of the library.
“The president has certainly supported the library programs and university administration and the provost, and this is an opportunity for the library to expand in support of collections. We are also really trying to make more space for students to study,” Coleman said.
According to Coleman, the new addition to the fourth floor will feature the Grant, Political and Congressional Research collections, all of which will be placed under climate-controlled conditions.
“When you have materials such as those of the Grant collection, temperature control is very important. You can’t just put materials in a place. You have to have the consistent heating and cooling necessary for the collections’ sustainability,” Coleman said.
Coleman said the $200,000 funding is in the state’s possession through bond bills and progress is strictly in the planning stages at the moment.
“When this project finally takes off and is completed, students will be allowed to come and sit only if they are using the materials within the new addition,” Coleman said. “We are hoping to expand the use of these research materials as well.”
John Marszalek, executive director of the Ulysses S. Grant Presidential Library, said this pre-planning phase is preparation ground for architects and staff to follow correct protocol and make sure plans are precise and ready before actual construction begins.
“This expansion is a great idea that President Keenum has been talking about for a number of years,” Marszalek said. “So far, everyone we’ve discussed this with wants the expansion to happen. There’s no say right now as to when this project will be complete and actually get started, but it’s definitely going to happen.”