University Times

University Library System staffers Marilyn Dipaolo and Waide Matthews move books from the fourth floor of Hillman Library. Photos by Kimberly K. Barlow/University Times

University Library System (ULS) staffers have begun emptying shelves on the fourth floor of Hillman Library in anticipation of building renovations that are set to begin in May.

On average, 3,000 items per day are being moved as ULS staffers work to clear some seven miles of shelved material on Hillman’s fourth floor by mid-to-late April, said library senior specialist Anne Koenig, who is coordinating the materials movement.

Library staff, bolstered by the addition of temporary workers, have cleared about one mile of shelves since work commenced on Oct. 23.

Each book’s circulation history was analyzed in order to generate pull sheets that determine where each item will go.

Ben Kuster pulls books destined for storage from the library’s fourth floor stacks.

The most-used items will remain on campus. Some will be moved temporarily to Hillman’s ground floor. Others are being taken to the engineering library in Benedum Hall, which had some available space.

Pre-2011 journals and infrequently used books are being placed in storage at the ULS facility on Thomas Boulevard.

The meticulous workflow — including scanning each book in order to update its location in PittCat — is designed to ensure that materials remain accessible, regardless of where they’re being kept.

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Hillman’s entire fourth floor must be cleared by May to accommodate the first phase of what’s planned as a top-down, floor-by-floor renovation.

Exactly all that’s entailed in the Hillman Library “reinvention” has yet to be determined. Initially the project will focus on updating mechanical systems original to the 1968 structure.

“Our maintenance staff does a tremendous job at keeping systems running, but at some point major upgrades are required,” said Owen Cooks, Facilities Management assistant vice chancellor for planning, design and construction. New chilled water, steam and air systems not only will make the building more energy efficient, but also will improve comfort for its occupants.

When systems work is planned, it’s Facility Management’s practice to ask users whether their space still works programmatically, so that other changes can be considered as part of the renovation, Cooks said.

At the request of the Provost’s office, interim ULS director Fern Brody chaired an advisory group tasked with reviewing programming possibilities.

“This is all still very tentative, but to be able to do anything, we knew we needed to define some things,” Brody said. Additional user space, especially more space for group work, is high on the list. In addition, ULS would like to add to its technology-enabled spaces, Brody said. “We’re looking beyond what we have right now. The digital scholarship space has been very popular. We know we want to expand that.”

ULS also wants to add more services, building on its computing labs and workshop offerings on knowledge creation and digital scholarship themes, she said.

In a staging area on the Hillman Library’s ground floor, David Bruno and Chris Stoessel fill “trucks” with books destined for storage.
Each day 15-20 of the metal carts are sent to the Thomas Boulevard storage facility.

Kristin Gusten, senior director of administration in the Office of the Provost, said creating more study space is a priority. “The space is so well utilized, there’s still not enough,” she said. “If you see, there’s a student sitting against every wall, plugged in somewhere.”

Plans are underway to ensure that students have quiet study spots and places to work in groups during the renovation.
Said Brody, “There is user space on the fourth floor, and when the time comes, Facilities is going to help us find other spots on campus that people can use as they’ve used the library for quiet study space or small group space.”

Study space is being built into other projects on campus, Gusten said. Among the first locations will be in Posvar Hall.

In addition, in conjunction with the Registrar’s office, the Provost’s office is seeking to identify when empty classrooms can be made available for study.

Another important aspect of the renovation is that the library supports faculty and graduate student research, Gusten said.

“That can be made even better,” she said, citing the need for dedicated group and meeting space and technology to support their work, separate from space for undergraduates.

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Some state money is in hand for the mechanical systems work (see July 25, 2013, University Times) but a total project budget has yet to be determined. The project still must be presented to the Board of Trustees property and facilities committee, probably in spring, Cooks said.

The project is envisioned in phases — both because the library can’t simply be closed to users during the multi-year renovation, and because funds won’t be allocated all at once, he said.

“We’re anticipating a phased renovation that will follow the most logical way to fix the mechanical systems,” he said. Programmatic additions will be determined phase by phase.

Gusten commended Facilities Management for its efforts to create a greater benefit from a mechanical systems project.

“It’s a good example of taking an opportunity because the right communications were made. Facilities did not attempt to do a mechanical project in a vacuum. They realized there was an opportunity to say ‘What bigger thing can we gain out of this?’ And because it’s a multi-phase project, it allows the kind of time to begin to think about in great detail what programmatic changes and improvements should and do we want to make.”

Added Brody: “Everybody realized the value of the library on the campus,” citing not only Hillman’s location, but its role as a multi-disciplinary gathering place. “It really has opportunities that everybody realized we need to take advantage of,” she said.

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For a week-by-week timeline of which items are being moved and details on finding library materials, go to http://library.pitt.edu/hillmanreinvention.

—Kimberly K. Barlow