Library upheaval as construction begins
Lobby of new building, courtesy of Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott. More plans
In just a few short weeks the rattle of jackhammers and the rumble of backhoes will be heard on campus as construction begins on the long-awaited library renovation and expansion project.
The project will include the construction of a new 27,000 square foot addition and the complete renovation of Donnelley Library. The first phase will be for the new addition, which we expect to be completed by spring 2004. Phase 2, the renovation of the existing building, is scheduled to begin in December 2003 and be completed by August 2004.
The construction schedule will pose some significant challenges for us in the coming academic year, as we must find ways to provide library service while construction is in progress. For the past several months we have been working on plans that we think will keep the inevitable disruptions and inconveniences to a minimum.
In early April, the College leased warehouse space in Waukegan where portions of the library collection will be housed during construction. The Library's government documents, bound periodicals, archived materials, and special collections will be stored in this climate-controlled warehouse. Materials will be relocated on a staggered schedule; moving the bound periodicals will be delayed as long as possible as they are heavily used. Library staff will run a paging service and will retrieve bound periodicals from the warehouse on request. Government documents will not be available while they are in storage. We will utilize the vast array of government information that is available online, as well as government documents available via request through ILLINET Online. Most of the material in our Archives and Special Collections will not be available while in storage, and patrons will contact Arthur Miller, College Archivist and Librarian for Special Collections (x5064), if they have questions about material in these collections.
Construction personnel will be building temporary walls on all three floors of Donnelley, just inside the west walls of the building. These temporary walls will protect the rest of the Library from the noise and dust that will result from the construction of the new addition. In preparation for this, we have rearranged the reference room on the main floor, relocated one long range of books on the second floor, and have moved several collections and offices on the lower level. We have also lost seating in some of these areas, but have tried to replace it in other areas of the building that will not be affected by the first phase of construction.
By the end of the fall semester in December 2003, we will have to completely vacate the lower level of the building and will move all books, offices and services to the top two floors of Donnelley. Bound periodicals will be moved to temporary off-site storage at this time. Later in the spring of 2004 we will move everything from Donnelley into the newly constructed addition while the existing library is renovated. Once renovation of Donnelley is complete in August 2004, we will move all of our people, collections, and services to their new permanent homes. We will then be able to enjoy a spacious new Library and Technology Center ¼ one well worth the inconveniences we will experience over the next several months.
What's happening to our library?
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Current changes
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- Government documents on the lower level have been placed
in temporary storage until Fall 2004.
- A range of books on the west side of the upper level (call
numbers in the JK ¼ ML range) has been relocated to the
east side of the building by the main staircase.
- The Reference Collection has been re-organized and condensed.
Some reference books and print indexes have been placed in storage.
- A range of bound periodicals (A+ through American Memory) have been placed in temporary storage. They are not currently available but will be able to be requested and retrieved ("paged") after the entire print journal collection is moved into storage.
- By December 2003, all bound periodicals will be in storage.
Although this will be inconvenient, we don't have the space to
store them all here during renovation. We will retrieve them as
needed from the storage facility. In all likelihood, patrons will
have to allow 24 hours for material to be brought to Donnelley
from storage.
- Microfilm will be moved to the main level of the library,
in the north section of the Reference Room. This will model where
they will be in the new facility and should make using microfilm
easier as it will be located next to print indexes such as the
New York Times Index, near workstations, and near the Reference
Desk.
- A/V will in all likelihood be located on the upper floor
of Donnelley, in the Leisure Reading Room.
- Room 50 will be relocated to Johnson B. Library instruction
will take place there or in smart classrooms on campus.
- Open and Closed Reserves will be combined and will be
located behind the Circulation Desk.
- The contents of the Treasure Room and the College Archives
will be located in off-site storage. We will page material as
needed.
- The entire book collection will be moved to the upper
floor of Donnelley. We will be using space in the Lincoln Room
for this.
- Office changes: Technical Services will be in the room
currently used for Open Reserves, Karen Blocker and Vince Costa
will be in Closed Reserves, and Mary Moss in the Leisure Reading
Room.
Please contact the Reference Desk at (847) 735-5074 with any questions.
Speaking of books...
The aroma of sugary refreshments drew in those
who followed the signs reading "Book Talk Today." The Library hosted four
faculty Book Talks during this academic year. Topics ranged far and wide:
Judaism, music, local history, and Palestine.
In the fall, Rabbi Herbert Bronstein, Lecturer in Religion, spoke about his chapter, "Talking Torah With Jesus" in Jesus Through Jewish Eyes. Departing from the usual format of a lecture followed by questions, Professor Bronstein and Reference Librarian Nancy Bohm opened with a set of interview-style questions and answers. This seemed to engage the audience so much that one member was barely able to wait until the set questions had ended to start asking his own.
Three more talks were given in the second semester. The first was on a wintry January day when a determined group braved the elements to hear Associate Professor of Music Donald Meyer speak about his new and innovative textbook, Perspectives On Music. In February, for Black History Month, College Archivist Arthur Miller gave a riveting talk focused on the African Americans who lived in Lake Forest in years past. He drew heavily on his recent, co-authored book, Lake Forest: Estates, People, and Culture. The audience learned that the first church service in town was probably integrated and that an African American established a successful livery with a loan from a College faculty member. Most recently, D.K. Pearsons Professor of Politics Ghada Talhami gave a talk on her book, Palestinian Refugees: Pawns to Political Actors. Professor Talhami discussed the history of Palestinian refugees and the local and international issues concerning their status.The Library's Book Talks are a singular opportunity for faculty to share their scholarship with the College community. Nancy Bohm is available to organize and facilitate Book Talks. She can be reached at sosna@lfc.edu or x5057.
A Legacy of Giving
a bookplate from the
library collection
High-tech gizmos at the TRC
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Need to scan something and then make some full-color printouts?
Going to a conference and need to burn your presentation onto a
CD? Want students to produce DVDs for a class assignment? Get thee to the TRC. The Technology Resource Center (TRC) is an unparalleled technology resource room, tucked in Room 160 of Johnson B. |
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TRC hours:
Monday - Friday 9am-5pm
Sunday - Thursday 7pm-10pm
Honoring our seniors
For the past three years, the Library has purchased books in the names of graduating LIT student workers. At the annual LIT senior dinner, some of this year's seniors posed with the books that had been added to the Library in their names.
Left to right: Sarah Bell (A Natural History of the Chicago Region), Cris Eslinger (Alexander Hamilton: a Life), Yazi Harlan (In Search of Madness: Schizophrenia and Neuroscience), Amy Bundesen (Art in the Modern Era: a Guide to Styles, Schools & Movements 1860 to the Present), Brad Howe (Nasdaq: a History of the Market that Changed the World), Joe Stupar (The Associated Press Guide to News Writing), Sharon Milroy (Seeing with Their Hearts: Chicago Women and the Vision of the Good City, 1871-1933), and Yasmina Walali (Globalization and its Discontents).
Not pictured: Michael Dhaliwai (The Word on the Street: Fact and Fable About American English), Jesse Russell Elam (Edmund C. Tarbell: Poet of Domesticity), Frances Hensley (Neotropical Birds: Ecology and Conservation), Anushka Hingorani (Fashion Victim: our Love-hate Relationship with Dressing, Shopping, and the Cost of Style), Jon Kellerman (Best of Intentions: America's Campaign Against Strategic Weapons Proliferation), Laure Madison (Teach Them All to Read: Catching the Kids who Fall Through the Cracks), Eugenia Pavlenko (American Economic Policy in the 1990s), Nicole Pisciotti (The String Quartet, 1750-1797: Four Types of Musical Conversation), Brad Saint (Safe Food: Bacteria, Biotechnology, and Bioterrorism), and Thomas Varga (The Perfect Store: Inside eBay).
Help is just a phone call away
Oh, no! You're putting the finishing touches on your self-evaluation, which is due at the end of the day. Your mouse freezes. You can't figure our why. Fine, use the keyboard commands. But, wait! What's that odd whirring sound? And that terrible smell? Better call your trusty liaison. Argh! Your pulse races and your palms sweat as you remember that she's out of town.
Call 3456.
This number will connect you to the Help Desk, staffed Monday through
Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm by the IT arm of LIT. You'll get immediate
help. They'll troubleshoot. They'll assist. And if the problem
turns out to be something that's bigger than the two of you can
fix, they'll log your call and turn your clanging, ailing computer
over to the right person.
So when technology lets you down, call your liaison first. If they aren't
available, call the Help Desk. And don't forget to breathe.
More information on using the Help Desk is in Tech Tips.
Architect Profile: Buddy Mear
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Buddy Mear, a member of the design team for the Lake Forest College Donnelly Library Renovation and Addition, joined Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott in 2001. He is a member of the firm's Educational Practice Group with expertise in designing college and university facilities. Buddy has concentrated on college and university work for more than 20 years. "I find that higher education clients are aware of emerging ideas about architecture," says Buddy. "They are also always interested in pursuing the research that will adapt these ideas to the changing aspects of their own world." |
-Courtesy of Shepley Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott
LIT BiblioFilesVol. 3 No. 2
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Published through the Library and Information
Technology department of Lake Forest College. Managing editor ... Rebecca Miller
Articles may be reprinted provided proper attribution is given. Email comments and questions to bibliofiles@lfc.edu Printable version |
