It was through the commitment and drive of the late Robert Winship Woodruff, long time Coca Cola CEO and Atlanta philanthropist, that the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center (AUC) was completed in 1982. A $10 million donation from Woodruff's personal fortune covered more than half the construction costs for the library building. Today, the building that bears his name serves as a monument to the ingenuity and pragmatism of the institutions that comprise the Atlanta University Center-Clark Atlanta University, the Interdenominational Theological Center, Morehouse College and Spelman College.

Covering more than 220,000 square feet with seating for more than 1,200, the Woodruff Library of the AUC features a learning environment that caters to the research and study needs of an academically diverse population of nearly 10,000 enrolled students and several hundred faculty. While the overall size of the building is adequate, the condition, appearance and organization of its physical spaces must be upgraded. The 26-year-old structure requires substantial renovations to address: