The new academic year has started; welcome back to all the students! We want you to be aware of the following updates…
Security
As expressed in last week’s message, we decided to hold off on opening 24/7 until after the L1 renovation. With respect to opening to the public, we will continue to have conversations about a limited public access policy. Start date is TBD. We will also be discussing extending hours during exams, with staff leaving at normal closing hours and Security being present until 11pm. We are scheduling regular meetings with Security to discuss these issues, and we will include updates when we receive them at upcoming Town Halls.
Labor Day Weekend
The library will be open normal business hours for the entirety of Labor Day weekend (Friday thru Monday). Students will be back on campus, so we will have LHTs and Security in the building.
Info Desk
We will begin staffing the Information Desk on Monday, August 15th! Initially, staff representing Access, Collections, Outreach, and Research and Instruction will staff the desk. They will have opportunities to share their subject expertise and knowledge of the library directly with users while broadening patron awareness of the breadth of services and collections available to support research and learning. The desk will be staffed six days a week and all staff are welcome to spend time at the desk—contact Meredith if you are interested. Additionally, the working group is finalizing a proposal for a program of showcases that will further enhance the in-person experience. I want to thank the working group for developing a proposal that re-envisions the Information Desk and focuses on our patrons.
The desk will be staffed on the following days and times:
- Sunday: 12pm-7:30pm
- Monday: 10am-4pm
- Tuesday: 10am-8pm
- Wednesday: 10pm-4pm
- Thursday: 10am-4pm
- Friday: 10am-4pm
Renovation
The L1 renovation planning has begun. Campus Planning, Shepley Bulfinch, and Countway started having weekly meetings to begin planning and discussing the first phase. Shepley has separated the beginning stages of the project into two phases: the design phase and the documentation phase. A proposal is due August 12th—the design phase will last roughly until September 9th and the documentation phase will last roughly until November 11th. After those phases, construction management documents will be issued and there will be a month for bidding, and then construction can begin from December or January thru May. In the coming weeks, we will invite other stakeholders such as Security, IT, and other Academic departments to our weekly meetings with Shepley and Campus Planning for their input into the design. We are excited to have Shepley back to work with us on this project, and I will continue to keep you updated as things progress.
Warren Anatomical Museum
Dominic, Emily, and Luciana have been working with Wescor to re-model the 5th floor display cases for the re-opening of the Warren Museum by fall. Dominic has re-envisioned the display of the materials and objects which required working with Facilities for demolition, new Security cameras, and a carpet shampoo. We received a quote on Monday and will start the job as soon as funding is approved. The goal is to have the new Warren up and running by September.
Resource Fair
The resource fair will be held on Thursday, Sept. 15th from 11am-6pm throughout the library. We're expecting a few hundred attendees from around campus (mostly students, but some staff and faculty as well), and we would like to show off everything that's great about Countway. We would really love to have representation from every Countway department at the event. We've set aside a table for each department, and we are hoping they can all be staffed throughout the day to connect with attendees and answer questions about your team's particular resources.
A few other details about the event:
- There will be food! (pizza served in the L1 atrium)
- The exhibitor tables will all be located on the first floor
- We're creating a demo schedule (let Outreach know if you would like to offer a 10-15-minute demo of some of your department's services)
- Weather-permitting, we may expand into the garden (popcorn, pet therapy, etc.)
- We will be handing out branded tote bags and other Countway swag to attendees at the entrance
- Let Outreach know if you'd like help ordering swag or marketing materials for your department
Feel free to reach out to the Countway Outreach Office with questions. You can find more detailed information about the event at the Countway Resource Fair webpage. This will be a great showcase event for all of us.
Next Staff Meeting
The next staff meeting will be held on Wednesday, August 24th from 1-2pm in the first-floor classrooms. Scott Lapinski will be presenting on Digital Scholarship Projects / Demo VR Workstation / Headset, 3D printing, workflows, and classroom use-cases that have integrated Anatomage software. As a reminder, staff meetings are staff driven. Contact MJ if you would like to be added present at a future staff meeting. All staff meetings for the remainder of 2022 are booked, but we would be happy to add you to the 2023 calendar.
Elaine