and Mrs. Dan Wassenberg. The Friends of the Libraries, founded in 1984, has provided funding for numerous acquisitions, furniture, and equipment. Students continue to support the library through funding initiatives that include computer stations for the InfoCommons, SFX software, and the Google Search Appliance. One of the major goals of the new library was to assimilate the old and the new structures, architecturally and aesthetically. The design team of Brent Bowman & Associates (now BBN Architects Inc) of Manhattan, Kansas, in association with Hammond Beeby Babka (now HBRA) of Chicago, Illinois, were commissioned to design a comprehensive expansion and renovation project that would double the size of the existing campus library while integrating additions dating from 1951 and 1970. With that in mind, the construction encased and expanded the west, south, and east sides of the previous library, while leaving the original 1927 building exposed to preserve its historic beauty and significance. In 1999, Hale Library received the Merit Award for Excellence from the American Institute of Architects for the central states region. On the interior, the library was designed to be user-friendly and house the collections, services, and departments necessary to anticipate and provide the needs of the 21st century. In addition to providing traditional library material, the library provides digital and interlibrary services, and the Information Technology Assistance Center (iTAC) is housed in Hale. The K-State Libraries has entered a cooperative agreement with the University of Kansas to house bound volumes in a shared storage facility in Lawrence, Kansas. Hale Library, the largest building on the K-State campus, includes five floors and a basement. As of 2018, it holds 1.5 items plus special collections and archives. Hale Library suffered smoke and water damage stemming from a fire which unintentionally broke out on the rooftop during May 2018. The library was closed into the 2020–2021 academic year. Special Collections and University Archives did not have any ensuing water damage but did have some damage from smoke. The Library was renovated with student's needs in mind, adding outlets and study spaces. The Great Room and the David Overmyer murals, which suffered water and smoke damage in the fire, were restored in this renovation. While 85% of the building was damage in some way during the fire, less than 1% of Hale's collection was lost. Originally updating only the roof for $774,000, the final project includes restoration and renovation that as