University of Connecticut ||
Tour of the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center
Ground was broken for the Thomas J. Dodd
Research Center on October 10, 1993, and the finished building was dedicated by
President William J. Clinton on October 15, 1995. It is named for the late Senator
Thomas Joseph Dodd whose son, Senator Christopher J. Dodd, played a crucial role in
the Center's development. The dedication ceremony inaugurated "The Dodd Year", a
year-long series of special events, speakers, exhibits and colloquia. Devoted to the
theme of human rights, The Dodd Year recalled Thomas Dodd's participation as a senior
prosecutor in the International Military Tribunal, the first of the Nuremberg War
Crimes Trials.
From the Lobby The circular plaza that lies along an established campus path, creates the main entrance for the Dodd Research Center and provides a link between the Center and the Homer Babbidge Library. The granite sculpture installed in the middle of the plaza is called "Stonebook Universe" sculpted by artists Anna and Wolfgang Kubach-Wilmsen. The 12-ton sculpture was commissioned by the Connecticut Commission on the Arts and funded by the Connecticut "One Percent for Art" Program (this program dedicates 1% of the cost of a new building to art for the building).
Reading Room The main entrance leads directly to the focal point of the building and its functions, the John P. McDonald Reading Room. This area combines a full service and professionally staffed reference desk, browsing racks for current journals, a multimedia workstation for public use and a check room to provide secure space for researchers to store their personal belongings. Beyond the glass walls are the Reading and Multimedia Rooms. The Reading Room has both data jacks as well as wireless access to the Internet. The multimedia room, known as the Samuel and Ann Charters Multimedia Room was named in honor of the generosity of the Charters' to ensure access to information stored on non-print media such as audio cassettes, lps, vhs, dvd and cd formats. The portraits hanging on the Reading Room walls were painted by Ellen Emmert Rand and are on loan from the University's William Benton Museum of Art. The furniture is by Thomas Moser Cabinetmaker. The collections, which are made available for research in the Reading Room, are stored in a secure "vault" with staff-only access and state-of-the-art environmental controls.
Exhibit Gallery The exhibit gallery is located directly off the main lobby and provides a well-designed facility with state-of-the-art cases to enable the Dodd Research Center to maintain an ongoing exhibition program, highlighting the rich and varied materials housed in the collections.
Program Facilities The building facilitates onsite programs, conferences and
presentations by the Center as well as other campus and affiliated groups. Specific
information regarding available space and scheduling is available in the
Facilities portion
of this web site.
West Wing The corridor located on the west side of the building houses additional exhibition space, a conference/instruction room and two academic centers. The Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life and the Human Rights Institute facilities include staff offices, reception areas and a shared conference space.
This page is maintained by J. Nelson.
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