1st Floor Renovation Central

The first floor renovations have entered the third phase of construction and finishing. We are still anticipating that the program will be substantially complete by May 21.

Most of the dry wall has been installed, taped mudded and prepared for paint. The new ceiling treatments, dry wall bulkheads and suspended ceiling tile system are nearing completion. Lighting fixtures in the new ceilings will begin installation this week. Fire alarm systems have been upgraded and are to be installed week of April 13.

There is a great deal of activity to follow in the next couple of weeks, painting, floor resurfacing and installation of floor finishes. Because of the high activity the work is being staged from 105 where Bibliographic services will be, then to 106 Mono Acquisitions and then onto 108 Serials and binding. The staff lunch room and kitchen are being used as staging areas right now but most of the work there is complete as well.  The training room is being prepared as well but may be one of the last areas to be completed as the contractor needs room to store all the new fittings and parts.

The wall systems for offices and the board room are being crafted and will arrive on site April 28 at 9:30 am. The larger pieces will have to enter the library through the book return  in Central Square, the Scott elevator is not deep enough for the 12 foot sections that are part of the floor to ceiling walls.

Network wiring will be run throughout the floor starting April 13, wiring for door access systems is also being strung at the same time.

In the Maps Library the new walls between the new staff area and Maps was unveiled last week. Shelving on the new walls was  installed April 8th and ready to load immediately. Map Library staff will be reshelving the monographs soon. That will open up a large area of the seating area in Maps that is being used to hold collections displaced by the renovations.

You can explore the renovation site virtually. A video walk through is available by clicking the following link Video Tour April 7. We’ll update a video walk through once the ceilings and floor finishes are installed.

All approvals for the renovations to Scott Library first floor have been signed off and a contractor has been selected to commence work in January, pending the issue of the Purchase Order. A great deal of preliminary work has taken place to facilitate the arrival of the contractor to the site:

Map Library

Furniture and shelving in the Map library has been re organized to make room for a small amount of room to be incorporated into the renovation staff space. Some of the furniture, original to the building was in such a fragile state that it was decided to replace the atlas stands with newer shelving. Some collections have been moved into other storage areas to accommodate current collections. The update layout allows for better site lines, more flexible shelving arrangements and removes study from a dark and unmanageable alcove.

105, 106

These two areas along the back corridor behind the Map library have been cleared of Archives Collections for some time now. Those materials moved to 002 Central Square two years ago. In the interim the spaces have been used as swing space and staging areas of other renovations in Scott, including the recent replacement of the ceiling tiles throughout Scott. These two areas are the future home of staff from Order Processing and Bibliographic Services.

 Media Archives, 107

The extensive collection of film, a substantial portion of SMIL holdings has been transferred to 002 Central Square and now reside in an environmentally stable environment. This area was once half of the staff lounge space and has over the years been used as a variety of storage uses. Once in the depth of the far distant past, when not in use for staff functions and lunches, 107 was the site of jazzercise and relaxation classes. Soon it will be transformed into the home of Serials and Electronic Acquisitions.

 Staff Lunchroom, 107A

Now empty of furniture, the staff lunchroom awaits demolition. The new temporary lunchroom has been relocated to the fifth floor. A new lunchroom and update kitchen are planned for the same space. Made smaller to allow for the addition of a boardroom/meeting room installation, the new staff lunchroom will be renewed with new floor covering, and other amenities.

Construction should commence shortly and the completion date is slated for May 21, that’s May 21 2009!

Here’s the latest news on the technical services renovations:

The university has been issued with a building permit for the renovations.

A tender has been issued and you may have seen many contractors who have been in Scott viewing the premises.  At least 8 contractors are likely to bid on the job.  The contractors are to submit their responses to the tender by the end of this week.   The evaluation of tenders is expected to take approximately 2 weeks.  Following this will be the awarding of the contract to the winning bidder, plus the issuance of purchase orders by Procurement.

It is possible that work on the 1st floor renovations could begin in late January or early February.