Observations from Phase I of summer renovation

In my last blog post, I discussed the preparation my library was making as a first-floor renovation project was in its final stages of approval.

This preparation included meeting with the contractors, trips to pick out furniture, consultations about paint and electrical specifications, internal meetings for finalizing furnishings and removal of outdated fixtures. Along with those meetings, there were (and still are) email chains, quick in-person visits to confirm details, and the afternoon spent moving everything out of the space where the construction was set to begin.

And begin it did!

I am happy to report that a large section of our first floor is enclosed and being transformed into a space where a key service will become more visible to our student population. As mentioned previously, tutoring services will move into the new space, improving accessibility to our Math and Writing Centers as well as becoming a central hub for subject tutors to meet and work with students.

Even though the construction is not complete, what has been done so far has totally changed the feel of our library space. I liken it to a jigsaw puzzle, actually. We’ve got the outer frame shaped along with one quarter of a corner section. The rest is just filling in the remaining pieces of furniture and fixtures to make one cohesive unit!

One service our library had to rethink this summer was assistance at our circulation desk, which is right next to the construction area. We didn’t feel it was feasible to have the desk staffed because of potential noise and dust disruption. Also, with those jigsaw pieces all over the floor, it isn’t necessarily safe for our patrons to be walking through regularly.

Our solution was to turn off ID access to our building and require patrons to call ahead or make an appointment to use the library. Doing this allowed our Access Service Staff (me!) to move to a temporary location in our back-office area. Another reason we asked our patrons to call is so all staff would know who was in the building during this process for safety reasons. Staff are on hand to provide services as needed; we just require a bit more of a heads-up before we do so.

As a supervisor of student employees who has never had her own office space, I have been thrust into the realization that I am much more productive when there are no distractions (such as my students) all around me. The conflicting part of that is, I genuinely enjoy our student workers and being a part of their college journey has been a highlight of my tenure here. While my workspace move is temporary, it’s certainly something I’d like to think about for future phases of turning our space into more of a learning commons or student-centered hub – an office of my own. Maybe even a door!

All in all, this journey hasn’t been all that bad for our library. We are excited for the space to be filled in and look forward to welcoming our students back in the fall semester so they can utilize our rejuvenated services.