With a budget of roughly $4 million, construction will once again invade the campus while library materials will be moved to the 100 and 700 buildings. On June 2, the first round of library renovations begins and will continue through summer and fall semester. The fences will return, this time blocking off the library building, with parking lot F possibly being used for construction storage.
“Construction always inconveniences somebody so you have to ask, how can you minimize that inconvenience?” Director of Facilities Douglas Horner said.
Although the library area will be a bit of a mess for the fall semester, the main campus boulevard will be left intact for students to get by. The library construction is expected to end by December, and re-open by January 2015.
The school librarians themselves are very involved in this project. They’ve helped with the planning as well as in choosing the architect, and will continue to serve in the temporary library situations. The librarians have the students’ best interests in mind, and have made many decisions on their behalf.
“We really want to make life easier for the students,” said Library Coordinator Tina Inzerilla. “That’s our main goal.”
While the many computers and texts are crammed into their temporary homes, the library will be restored with new features including new acoustic ceilings, much like the ones found in the cafeteria, that will reduce noise and echoes. They will also provide more outlets for personal computers, and altogether more space.
“There’s not an expansion happening, that’s phase two,” said Horner. “Right now we’re working with what we have.”
These changes are minor compared to what is to come.
Horner describes phase two of the library renovations as the removal of the 2100 building and replacing it with a two story building with more room for independent study and possibly even tutoring.
When asked when this project is expected to begin, Horner said, “When we get funded.”
