NCSU Libraries Focus Online

Volume 25 number 2 - Winter 2005

D. H. Hill Library Service Changes During 2005-2006 Renovation

By Rob Rucker, Public Services

Before NC State can enjoy the renovated East Wing of the D. H. Hill Library, the NCSU Libraries needs to make room for construction to proceed. This means relocating many library staff and some of the most important public service points. The ground and first floors of the East Wing will be affected, and relocated services will include the Reference Desk and nearby computers, the Special Collections Research Center, Friends of the Library, Distance Learning Services, and Interlibrary and Document Delivery Services. The reference collection will also be moved during this period of construction. Renovation will begin in early 2005 and is expected to be completed by fall 2006. The renovated space will offer increased seating, more computers, and a new exhibit gallery and reading room.

Reference Desk

Users of the D. H. Hill Library are familiar with entering the library, going up the stairs or using the elevator to reach the main lobby in front of the Circulation Desk, and then turning right to get to the Reference Desk and the nearby computers. Starting in January 2005, these services will instead be to the left of the main lobby, in the West Wing, also known as the Erdahl-Cloyd Wing. The Reference Desk will be located just in front of the Reserve Desk, and a small collection of important reference books will be shelved in the Reserve shelves. The Current Periodicals Reading Room and the Reserve Desk will remain unchanged by these moves. The Reserve Reading Room will have a reduced number of study tables so that it can accommodate patron computers.

Computing

Patron computing will be accommodated in several places, and these changes will actually mean a net increase in the number of computers available at the D. H. Hill Library for NCSU students, staff, and faculty. Approximately forty workstations will be available near the Reserve and temporary Reference Desk areas, to the north of the glass wall that currently divides the Reserve Reading Room from Current Periodicals. The Libraries also installed more than a dozen computer workstations on Bookstacks Level 5 between the north and south towers. The same number of workstations will be added to Bookstacks Level 6. Ten workstations will be installed along the north wall of the north tower on Bookstacks Level 2. Additional workstations have also been added to the ground floor Reading Room. The Unity Lab on Book-stacks Level 2 will not be affected by these changes. Of course, laptops will continue to be available through the Laptop Lending Service.

Reference Collection

In addition to patron computing being added to Bookstacks Level 6, the sixth floor will also accommodate the bulk of the reference collection. Signs will indicate its location and will remind users that they can use their cell phones to call the Reference Desk or consult a librarian via online chat or electronic mail at one of the workstations. Reference staff will be glad to come up to assist users with their research.

Printing and Photocopying

Photocopiers will remain in the Reserve and Current Periodicals area. Photocopying in the bookstacks will be improved by the installation of a photocopier on every bookstack level, just outside the south tower elevators. The current mix of library and Wolfcopy photocopiers will remain. Network printing will available in the Reserve and temporary reference area in the West Wing, as well as on Bookstacks Levels 5 and 6 and in the Photocopy Services office.

Interlibrary Services and Special Collections Research Center

While the first floor of the East Wing will be inaccessible during construction, the other floors of the East Wing will remain open most of the time. The north staircase and elevators in the East Wing will remain accessible throughout the period of renovation, though the exact location of passage to them may change as construction proceeds. East Wing areas include the Digital Media Lab, Collaboratory, Microforms Center, and ITTC (Information Technologies Teaching Center) Labs on the second floor, and administrative and Personnel Services offices on the third floor. Both Special Collections and Interlibrary and Document Delivery Services will be temporarily relocated on the ground floor with limited hours for public access, and the Friends of the Library offices have already relocated to the second floor of the East Wing. Distance Learning Services is in the north tower on the sixth floor

These shifts will allow staff to vacate areas under renovation. The Libraries appreciates the patience of its patrons and staff during this transition. To the extent possible, any loud construction will be limited to hours of lowest library use, and the library will work with construction staff to keep disruption to a minimum throughout the various stages of renovation. The new East Wing will provide a greatly enhanced space for the NCSU community.