Spring Break
Sprinkler replacement to protect library books from leaking pipes
Bacterial erosion has damaged current system, endangered collections
Courtney Kostick
Issue date: 9/29/05 Section: Campus News
The McIntyre Library addition built in 1972 included a sprinkler system to protect the university's book collections from fire.
More than 30 years later, however, it is this system that could pose the same threat, if not worse, as a fire.
The current system is susceptible to leaks due to bacterial erosion within the pipes of the system, and everything has to be completely replaced, said Christopher Cox, the assistant director of libraries. Multiple areas of the library already have been damaged by leaking pipes, he said.
"It's one of those messy projects that for the safety of the collections and the students, it needs to be done," Reference Librarian Jill Markgraf said.
The process began Monday within the 210,532-square foot complex. The state-funded project will continue through Dec. 19, starting on the lower level and continuing up to the fifth floor, Cox said.
Reference sections, study rooms, computer areas and offices temporarily will become unavailable to students and staff, he said.
Students have yet to feel the repercussions of the construction, however.
Sophomore Alyssa Retzlaff said she was unaware of the project until she read a posting on the library's Web site.
Many students may not feel the effects of the project until later in the semester, she said.
As the project progresses, library staff will have additional responsibilities, Markgraf said.
When students are blocked off from a section, they can place a request at the circulation desk in the library, and a staff member will go into the restricted section to retrieve the material for them. Students will continue to have access to all materials, she said.
"For some students, it may be an inconvenience to get the books they need, but there are plenty of places to study in the library, and I don't think it will be an issue for me," Retzlaff said.
One main inconvenience library users may encounter is the 30-foot trailer and dumpster blockade between Davies and the library, Cox said.
Users will have to walk to the back entrance of the library or enter through Davies Center.
"The library will do its best to keep students informed," Cox said, "but at the end of the day, the construction shouldn't affect students that much."
More than 30 years later, however, it is this system that could pose the same threat, if not worse, as a fire.
| Construction Timeline (schedule is tentative) Sept. 26-Oct. 20: Basement and first floor Oct. 21-Nov. 18: Second and third floors Nov. 21-Dec. 19: Fourth and fifth floors |
The current system is susceptible to leaks due to bacterial erosion within the pipes of the system, and everything has to be completely replaced, said Christopher Cox, the assistant director of libraries. Multiple areas of the library already have been damaged by leaking pipes, he said.
"It's one of those messy projects that for the safety of the collections and the students, it needs to be done," Reference Librarian Jill Markgraf said.
The process began Monday within the 210,532-square foot complex. The state-funded project will continue through Dec. 19, starting on the lower level and continuing up to the fifth floor, Cox said.
Reference sections, study rooms, computer areas and offices temporarily will become unavailable to students and staff, he said.
Students have yet to feel the repercussions of the construction, however.
Sophomore Alyssa Retzlaff said she was unaware of the project until she read a posting on the library's Web site.
Many students may not feel the effects of the project until later in the semester, she said.
As the project progresses, library staff will have additional responsibilities, Markgraf said.
When students are blocked off from a section, they can place a request at the circulation desk in the library, and a staff member will go into the restricted section to retrieve the material for them. Students will continue to have access to all materials, she said.
"For some students, it may be an inconvenience to get the books they need, but there are plenty of places to study in the library, and I don't think it will be an issue for me," Retzlaff said.
One main inconvenience library users may encounter is the 30-foot trailer and dumpster blockade between Davies and the library, Cox said.
Users will have to walk to the back entrance of the library or enter through Davies Center.
"The library will do its best to keep students informed," Cox said, "but at the end of the day, the construction shouldn't affect students that much."