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Construction Process

[Click here for construction photos]

The Suzzallo Library is scheduled to undergo a large renovation project, to begin in Summer 2000 and last approximately 24 months, with completion in Summer 2002. The project is designed to address critical structural, mechanical, electrical, and life safety deficiencies. Included in the work will be seismic bracing of the 1925, 1935, 1947, and 1963 sections of Suzzallo, and new mechanical, electrical, communications, and fire alarm systems.

During construction, sections of Suzzallo will be closed for extended periods of time. The collections housed in Suzzallo will continue to be available during the entire renovation process, although portions of the collections must be moved to other areas and in some cases will need to be retrieved by staff. The Libraries staff will do their best to provide efficient and uninterrupted services throughout the construction.

How will library services and collections be affected during the construction?

Phase I (Summer 2000 through Summer 2002)

With the beginning of construction, the entire 1925 and 1935 sections of Suzzallo were closed, and the West Entrance (facing the Central Plaza/Red Square) was closed and blocked off. Until the construction is complete, the only access to the Suzzallo Library is through the Allen Library entrances.

Prior to the beginning of Phase I, all staff, collections and equipment were removed from the 1925 and 1935 sections and the octagon areas on all floors.

These temporary moves and changes were necessary:

• Government Publications was moved to the Suzzallo Basement and now shares space with the Map Collection.
• Computing Resource Center was closed and the activities and equipment permanently relocated in Mary Gates Hall and the Odegaard Undergraduate Library.
• Some units, such as Reference and Research Services and the Microform and Newspaper Collection, did not move, but they were pulled back from the construction zone walls and compressed into a smaller space.
• Suzzallo Reading Room and the Smith Room have been closed.
• West Entrance to the Suzzallo Library was closed once the exterior construction fencing was installed.
• Staff units in the construction zone were moved to temporary spaces in the 1963 wing of Suzzallo and the Allen Library.

Study space in Suzzallo has been reduced during the Renovation Project (with the Reading Room and other areas behind construction walls), and some locations will experience noise from the construction. As a result, there will be an increased utilization of the Allen Library and other University Libraries for study space.

Temporary partition walls have been built to reduce dust and noise. As far as possible, the noisiest work (demolition, drilling, etc.) will be done at night.

Phase II (March to December 2001)

Seismic bracing is scheduled for the 1963 section, to begin approximately 10 months into the Project. Some floors of the 1963 section will be vacated almost completely for this work; on other floors, the collections and services will be compressed and pulled back from the bracing work.

Phase II will begin with work on the 2nd and 4th floors. The work on these floors is expected to take 3 months. The next two floors will be the 1st and 3rd floors, also for a three-month period. The last part of Phase II involves the Basement, Sub-basement, Ground, and 5th floors, for an expected period of four months. Because the spaces involved in Phase I (the 1925 and 1935 wings and the octagon area) will still be under construction at this point and not available for use, more collections and a number of Libraries staff will have to be relocated out of the building for all or part of Phase II.

As in Phase I, the Libraries staff will make every effort to provide efficient services and quick retrieval of collections that are temporarily located out of the building.

After the completion of construction, the following units will move to their ultimate destinations:

Ground floor

• Government Publications
• Microform and Newspaper Collection
• Interlibrary Borrowing Service
• Resource Sharing Service

First floor

• Circulation and Cashier
• International Studies
• Reference and Research Services

Third floor

• Copy Center

How will library users be kept informed?

For regular renovation updates, see Latest Updates on the Suzzallo Renovation Web page. A printed renovation newsletter will be published regularly and made available in the Allen Library Lobby and other Libraries locations.