Library renovation shuffles campus

By Rachelle Leduc, Staff Writer leduc13@up.edu

With the construction on the Library in full swing, the University of Portland has made several changes to help accommodate students.

Over the summer, UP relocated the Library to an interim location, reformatted the Library webpage to help students find the best place to study, and made a mobile application to make requesting books easier.

Drew Harrington, Dean of the Library, is excited for the remodel and was glad to have the summer to transition before fall semester started.

"This was a long time coming and needed," she said.

Over the summer, the Library transitioned to an interim location in the Terrace Room in the basement of the Bauccio Commons.

Senior librarian Heidi Senior said the transition to the interim location went smoothly.

"We have been offering our services all summer," Senior said. "It is going really well."

In the Terrace Room, students can check out reference materials and commentaries for two hours to use within the room.

The rest of the Library collections are currently housed in the parking garage of Haggerty and Tyson.

According to Harrington, students who need to check out books will have to request them either online or at the Terrace Roome, then a library worker will retreive the book for the student to pick up at the interim library.

Students can request books online from the Library catalog or through the use of a mobile phone application created this summer. Those with a smart phone can download the application from the Library website.

Harrington said the requested books should be ready in about an hour.

While the Terrace Room will serve as a main point of contact with librarians, the renovation leaves few places to sit and study.

This semester, multiple study areas will be open to students including the Bauccio Commons, Franz Hall classrooms and Holy Cross Lounge, the Pilot House including The Cove and lounge, the residence halls, the Shiley Hall Vollum study room and St. Mary's Lounge.

While certain spaces may be limited in size or hours, the University is considering opening more of Shiley Hall, and extending the hours of the Pilot House.

To provide students with more information, the Library also revamped its webpage, said Harrington.

According to Harrington , the webpage now has a section explaining the features of each study location, such as the hours of operations, if the space has wireless, food service or computers.

The site also shows whether or not a space is good for group work.

In addition, the Library website now has links for students about the library floor plans and renovation.

"We have made huge changes to the website for this year," Harrington said. "I think and hope its clear if you go on the website."

While the renovation continues, Harrington said people can sign up online to go on hardhat tours of the construction starting in September.

Tours will be given on the Tuesday and Wednesday of every third week of the month at 3:45 p.m.

Despite all the work that has been done to accommodate students, many are still worried about their academics during this time of transition.

"I know a new library is needed. It is just hard to be a senior and have to work on your capstone in unorganized locations," senior Ashley Wilson said.

Senior Steve Carter said it would have been better for students if they remodeled portions of the Library at a time, rather than all at once.

"This probably wasn't the best way to do it," Carter said.

Scheduled for completion in August, the renovated Library will be three levels. The lower level will be a traditional quiet study floor, the main level floor will be a center for library services including help desks, and the upper level will be a multimedia lab containing a green screen, sound board, classrooms, software and computer assistance.

In addition, the renovated Library will increase in the space provided to serve 700 users, 300 more than before. Also, students will have access to the Library 24 hours a day with their student identification cards.

While Harrington acknowledges that the remodel is inconvenient for everyone, she said the University is trying to make everything work for students.

"We are doing the best to accommodate students," she said.