Ground Floor Completion

We've now reached Fall Reading Days, and we've been watching to see how everyone uses the new space. There are a few odds and ends to still be wrapped up, but overall the ground floor has come together.


It's been an amazing transformation over the summer that's included:

Collections

• Relocating many of our bound journals to Knouse (off-site storage)
• Relocating VHS to Knouse and creating more room for the DVD collection

Facilities

• Removing many existing walls for more light and greater student space
• Creating two group study rooms
• Building a larger, more open library classroom
• Completely renovating the ground floor restrooms
• A water fountain on the ground floor!
• Installing new lighting and carpet
• Reupholstering our original furniture to match the new space

Technology

• Installing a black and white and color copier
• Purchasing two touch-screen scanning stations 

Weeks 9-13 - Photo Wrap Up

Musselman Library's ground floor makeover has really taken shape during the last few weeks.  There have been many exciting changes, including:

• installation of new carpet
• framing of offices
• installation of doors and windows
• renovation of the restrooms
• addition of a water fountain
• electrical/data enhancement and preparation for new lighting
• painting of accent walls

The project has come a long way, and what was once a series of architectural drawings is now reality.

With so many of the improvements near completion, we've started to move materials and furniture back onto the library's ground floor.  But we're still in transition, so the ground floor will remain closed for just a little while longer.

Stay tuned for more photos and information about the reopening of the floor.  We're looking forward to letting you experience the improvements in person very soon!

 

Week 8 - Photo Wrap Up

Whew! With all of the dramatic demolition complete, work has steadily moved forward on the ground floor and with the stairwell skylight. The skylight has received its eight glass panels and should be complete by the week of July 16th. The stairwell, however, will remain closed throughout the ground floor renovation for construction crew access.

For the ground floor,we've heard a steady rhythm of hammering and drilling as new HVAC duct work has been installed, new electronic and data outlets wired, and backboard for tiles hung in the bathrooms. The upcoming week will feature insulation going into the walls, sheetrock/dry wall going up, and the bathroom walls getting tiled.

Perhaps best of all, the ground floor will now feature a water fountain (with a bottle filling station). You'll no longer have to head to the second floor to use our single water fountain. I think that's something we can all appreciate.

Week 7 - Photo Wrap Up

Week 7 has seen the completion of the demolition phase of the project. Debris has been removed from the ground floor, new concrete has been poured, and walls are going up for new office spaces and the library instruction room.

Week 6 - Photo Wrap Up

Demolition continued this week, with removal of carpet and restroom fixtures.  Librarians got a tour of the progress.

Skylight Replacement

Earlier this week, a crane hoisted an approximately 3,000 pound steel skylight frame to the top of Musselman Library's main stair tower. The new skylight will replace one that was found to leak during rain events in recent years.

Week 5 - Photo Wrap Up

Demolition has started! Week 5 has had the work crews busily removing several walls on the Ground Floor in order to open space for the new floor plan.

Weeks 3 and 4 - Photo Wrap Up

Weeks 3 and 4 show the dramatic emptying of the ground floor. Shelving has been removed, journals marked for remote storage have been packed and moved out, and offices formerly occupied by ITT and library staff sit empty and ready for demolition.

Week 2 - Photo Wrap Up

During week 2, most of the materials and equipment on the ground floor were packed up. The Digital Center was relocated to its new home in the West building. DVDs and lab computers were packed up for the summer into storage. Requiring a lot of boxes, many journals were moved to remote storage.

Week 1 - Photo Wrap Up

Since finals week ended, it's been a non-stop push to get the ground floor ready for demolition. Here are some more photographs from Week 1 of the project before packing materials and temporary office relocations started.

Let the Makeover Begin!

Construction is officially underway on the ground floor of Musselman Library this week. This is the start of a summer project that will create new and improved study and instruction spaces in the areas recently vacated by the college's Instructional Technology & Training department and Digital Center. You can learn more about these plans by looking at the Project Overview and Floor Plan.

While the construction is just beginning, a lot of work has already been done to prepare for the arrival of the construction crews. Most of the materials and equipment on the ground floor were packed up. The Digital Center was relocated to its new home in the West building. DVDs and lab computers were stored for the summer, and many journals were moved to remote storage.

Here's a view of the ground floor just a couple of weeks ago during finals:


This is what the ground floor looked like during the packing process:


And, more recently:


It may be a while before we can post some more up-to-date photos, but we will continue to provide updates as the project takes shape.