Makeover to Close Evansdale Library for Summer
Posted by Monte Maxwell.April 24th, 2009
The Evansdale Library will close this summer so that the facility can undergo an extensive renovation project.
Doors will close after finals week on May 10 and reopen before the start of the fall semester. In the interim, the WVU Libraries will work with users in retrieving needed materials housed at Evansdale.
Students and faculty will be able to request books through the Libraries’ Book Express service. Items will be retrieved within 24 hours and will be available for pick up on the lower level of the library. Users will be able to obtain journal articles by requesting them through ILLiad, the Libraries’ Interlibrary Loan service. Materials will be digitized and delivered via email.
“We expect the end result of this renovation to outweigh the temporary inconvenience,” said Mary Strife, Director of the Evansdale Library. “Students will have a library for the 21st century that is aesthetically pleasing, equipped with the latest technology, and more conducive to studying, doing research, and working on group projects.”
Plans call for reconfiguring the first floor to create a space that is bright and open.
Clusters of study and computer carrels will replace a large block of shelves on the right of the floor. Near the rear windows, a flexible study area will allow students to easily move tables, chairs, and whiteboards to fit a group project or tutoring session. A leisure reading area with lounge seating will offer a quiet corner to study or read for pleasure.
The microfilm room will make way for a lounge with upscale vending machines, café seating, and a video screen possibly showing CNN. New computer stations, with carrel walls for privacy, will replace the current arrangement.
And there’s no need to fear if you have any questions. Finding help will be quicker and easier for library users thanks to a new desk that centralizes circulation, reference, and technical services in one location.
New carpeting, wallpaper, a fresh coat of paint, and a Flying WV tile inlay near the entrance will tie together the floor.
“Students played a big part in our planning of this makeover. We listened to their recommendations,” Strife said. “I’m eager to see them filling the new space once we’re done.”