Library construction to be completed in May

Forty percent of Phrase I of library construction has been completed, university officials said.

Phase I of construction includes the new addition to the old building. When Phase I is completed, everything will be moved from the old building into the new. Then Phase II begins, and the roof of the old building will be replaced. Phrase II will start in May.

“They are finishing up the roof work, and we’ll be done in two weeks,” Project Manager of Georgia College & State University’s Facilities Planning Department Mark Bowen said. “They started work on the ground floor and are working their way up.”

Workers just finished placing sheet rock on the walls of the ground floor and have begun working on walls on the second floor.

“Progress is going well. They are ahead of schedule by two days,” Bowen said. “They have been delayed by rain, but for the most part, things have been going very well.”

Bowen predicts the construction will end by the beginning of summer.

“I’m hoping that it won’t be postponed much past May,” he said. “If not first of June, I really don’t see it going beyond that.”

This will allow the workers to move the items from the old building into the new building within 30 days.

“Ideally, we could do that during maymester and start use in summer,” Bowen said.

During this transition period, students, faculty, and staff will not have access to the actual library building.

University Librarian Bill Richards wants to stress that the information in the library will still be available.

“Students won’t be able to get the actual material in the building, but through interlibrary loans and GIL, students can still get ahold of actual book. We are also working on opening a satellite transition library in the Arts and Science building.”

Students will be able to go to this library and receive the same help they would normally find at the regular library

Because of proper budgeting, GC&SU can afford to add new accessories to their list. According to Bowen, four items will be submitted to the Board of Regents for approval. These items include adding “different types of finishes in to the project,” such as floor coverings, wall coverings, an electrical duct bank replacement; electrical shelving and replacing the roof on the original library.

“I think we are going to have a wonderful building when we get through here,” Bowen said. “I think everyone will be pleased that money was spent to bring this building to campus.”

The Ina Dillard Russell Library was built in 1932. This expansion will triple the size of the existing library. The project will include renovation of the existing 44,413 square-foot building plus the building of a 92,308 square-foot addition. The new and improved library will include additional seating for students, two electronic classrooms, group study rooms, several exhibit galleries and a cyber caf?.

“The addition and renovation will provide students with over 30 small group study rooms, three computer labs, one computer graphic lab and a cyber caf?/coffee shop like The Cellar,” Richards said. “A large portion of the library will be open 24 hours a day. The ground floor of the original library will be a history museum.”

The original building’s entrance closed in 1968. This entrance will be reopened as the entrance to the museum.

The new addition will also feature bricked sidewalks, similar to the ones outside of Arts & Sciences an upgraded security system, an upgraded audio/visual control system, programmable compact shelving, improvements to interior floor finishes and aluminum doors instead of steel.

“I think (the building) will be a great addition to our campus, Bowen said. “It’s not going to be a building like we have on campus, and it’s going to be something to really look at.”

“I think these (changes) will help create the kind of excellent library that students need for the kind of programs that GC&SU provides,” Richards said.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Nov 15 2002. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry