Welcome to a new academic year. It is wonderful to have everyone on campus again.

The library building has begun its transformation. Floors 4 and 5 and part of the ground floor are under construction and not open to the public. Some construction walls have appeared on the 2nd and 3rd floors. Traffic patterns have changed. Only one elevator is available for use by the public. The other is designated for construction workers only. It is all necessary in order for us to complete the total renovation of the existing building.

Noise levels in the building have increased during the day. The 3rd floor is the loudest and some sound does drift to the lower floors. Limited areas on floors 1-3 may be unavailable for short periods of time during the semester. We know that there are varying levels of inconvenience because of these circumstances and your patience and understanding are truly appreciated.

Looking forward, we expect the renovation of the 4th and 5th floors to be largely complete by the beginning of the spring semester. At that point, all staff, services and collections that can be fit in the building will be moved to the upper floors and floors 1-3 will be under construction. Study space will be at a premium and we are investigating alternative sites on campus to accommodate the needs that cannot be met in the building. More updated information will be forthcoming as plans are finalized.

While there is disruption and inconvenience, it is an exciting time for the library. The completion of the project will give the campus a state of the art building that will be a center for intellectual and social interaction. We will have an interesting journey this year to get us to our goal. We hope you will join us for the ride.