THE SITE AND BUILDINGS

Situated on high ground which overlooks the confluence of the Columbia and
Kootenay Rivers, the College site is uniquely beautiful. It can be seen from the
vantage points of the surrounding highways. The campus commands the full sweep
of three hundred and sixty degrees revealing the panorama of river valleys and
mountains.

The College is built on the northern tip of the site to take full advantage of the
natural grade which slopes gently towards the two rivers. It grows from an axial
spine on which the major facilities have been placed and from which all other
portions extend. In their heights and shapes, and in their relationships to each
other, the buildings create an impression which is both interesting and varied. There
is a sense of intimacy about the campus rather than of monumental grandeur.

Selkirk College is comprehensive in nature, offering courses of study in both the
academic and technical disciplines. It attempts in its architectural design to empha-
size this concept of comprehensiveness and to ensure that all students have the
opportunity to intermingle freely. It is designed also to provide for easy contact
between students and faculty members.

At the heart of the campus is the college library. It is placed in a central location,
not only for the sake of convenience, but to encourage the development of a sense
of unity among those who teach and learn. On the lower floor of the library building
is a large and well appointed reading room and student lounge. Here students may
meet informally with each other and with their instructors to discuss their common
interests and goals.

Surrounding the library are five education halls. These are connected to each other
and to the library by covered walkways, and again the effect is to emphasize the
atmosphere of intimacy and the feeling of unity. Connected also to the education
halls and to the library is a wing of twenty faculty offices and a cafeteria building.

A gymnasium, lecture theatre and administration building have been planned for
a later stage of construction.

The College Library

The library seats 150, mostly at single study carrels where distractions can be re-
duced to a minimum. Eighteen of the study carrels will be equipped with earphones
and it will be possible to request the playing of tape and disc recordings from the
library’s collection.

Ten thousand books and three hundred periodicals will be available on opening.
There is enough space to double that number in the immediate future. In addition
to housing printed materials, the library will function as a distribution centre for
media concerned with the visual image and the spoken word. Tapes and records
will be housed on the lower floor, and slides, films, film strips and facilities for
making transparencies will be provided in the instructional services room. Part of
this area will serve as a viewing room where films and programmes of slides can
be scheduled.

Open access to almost all the book collections will be provided, with the exception
of a special collection concerning the West Kootenay region which may be used on

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