IN A BIND: Library renovations spell complications for all

By Kathryn Walters, Staff Writer -- walters14@up.edu

When renovations to the Wilson W. Clark Memorial Library begin in May, so will a difficult chapter in academic life at UP: The University will be without a library for 14 months, including the entire 2012-2013 academic year.

Although some library services will be available during the renovation period, those involved directly with the project acknowledge that the disruption will affect almost everyone on campus.

The majority of the 250,000 books will be stored in the Tyson Hall garage. The circulation and reference desks as well as the multi-media lab will be moved to the Terrace Room below The Commons, and Franz Hall will be used for library instruction and administration, according to Drew Harrington, dean of the Library.

"We know there will be an impact and (it will be) very inconvenient," Harrington said. "We'll do our best to make it good, and we know it's going to be hard."

However, the renovations leave the question of study space up in the air.

"You kind of lose that environment where it's removed from the craziness of the dorms," sophomore Ellen Montanana said.

Jim Ravelli, vice president for University Operations, said plans to create more study space for students have not been resolved yet, but some possibilities include opening up classrooms in Shiley Hall and sectioning off areas in The New Commons for studying.

"The problem is that we don't have a dedicated space the size of the Library everywhere on campus," Ravelli said.

In fact, it was concern for students' study space that led Harrington and others involved in the project to scrap original plans to store most of the Library's books in The New Commons.

"There was a feeling that it was taking more space than we felt students should have to give up," Harrington said. "You're having to give up the Library already, and it just seemed like we were making it too hard on everybody."

While students and faculty will not have immediate access to the books in the Tyson Hall garage, they will be able to request a book they want online. A library worker will retrieve the book and send it to the circulation desk in the Terrace Room, where it will be ready in a matter of hours for pickup.

The books will be in closed stacks, which will be in an enclosed area that will take up the entire garage. However, heating and humidity controls will be installed to keep the books in good condition, according to Harrington.

Students who live in Tyson Hall will no longer be able to park their cars in the garage, but alternative parking plans are still in the works, according to Ravelli.

The Terrace Room will house reference books that cannot be checked out.

Courses that rely heavily on research that needs to be done in the Library, such as Biblical Traditions and Culture, may be affected by limited access to the library.

"We should be more attentive to make sure students have enough time," Fr. Jeff Cooper, who teaches Biblical Traditions and Culture, said. "When it gets to the research part of the course, things might be more of a chore."

Harrington said students in courses like Bib Trad may have to rely more on online resources.

"There are some things that lend themselves nicely to online resources. Bib Trad is not one of them," Harrington said. "Probably everyone will have to rely more on online resources like our database, electronic books and journals."

As a result, the Library's website will get more online traffic, and a priority for the Library is to make sure that the website runs as smoothly as possible.

"It's always had to work well, but it'll have to work even better," Harrington said.

The Library information literacy class, where classes attend workshops on how to correctly use library resources, will be relocated to Franz Hall 330. Library administration will be in Franz Hall 10.

Due to the relocation of library resources to the Terrace Room, events that would have otherwise been held there will have to move elsewhere.

According to Ravelli, Terrace Room activities will be accommodated in other places like the Hall of Fame Room in the Chiles Center.

Ravelli acknowledges that the system will be inconvenient until the new Library is built, there is no way around it.

"It should be okay, but we're going to inconvenience some folks without question," Ravelli said.

Montanana said she has some reservations about this new system.

"It's nice that they'll find the book for you, but I think the whole point of the Library is to be physically able to flip through the book, and you can't do that electronically," Montanana said.