The library, one of the oldest buildings on campus, is getting a mini-makeover in the coming months as part of an overall beautification process under way at the university.
Changes are constantly being made architecturally at CSU East Bay. From the addition of the RAW Center to the planned demolition of Warren Hall, it’s a process that is ongoing.
The campus library is definitely no exception. While the more obvious change is the addition of Starbucks that opened last quarter, there’s a lot more happening. Water damage is a big problem for the library—when it rains, water comes in through the cracks in the ceiling and puts some books at risk of being ruined.
“We have an old building so you can see that water sometimes comes in,” Linda Dobb, librarian and interim associate provost, explained.
However, repairs are being made. Parts of the ceiling have been taken out for pipe replacements and Dobb hopes that the project will completed in the next year.
The library is also in the process of having the remaining old carpet replaced. In addition, the testing center was moved to the second floor of the library at the beginning of summer quarter where the Students with Disabilities center used to be.
Perhaps the most time consuming project in the library is relocating books and bookshelves.
The bridge that connects the library to Warren Hall is to be taken down, which is why the Student Center for Academic Achievement (SCAA) Center was moved from the area adjacent to the bridge to another area on the second floor last quarter.
Reference books are being moved from their original place on the first floor. Dobb hopes for most of the reference section to be moved off the bridge by the end of this quarter or early in Fall Quarter.
While in the process of moving books off the first floor and the bridge area, this opportunity is also being taken to evaluate the usage of books.
“A lot of [the books] are not being used so they’ll just go to that recycling center in the sky or be given to a company that sells them to third world countries,” Dobb explained. “We try to do the best we can.”
The bridge is not the only place where books are being moved from. The books and bookshelves at the new location of the SCAA Center are to be moved as well, to make more room for tutors and other students to work.
“We have some student workers moving some stuff now,” said Dobb, “but these are very heavy volumes and moving that many and incorporating them into the other section of the stacks is going to be hard work.”
Just how long this project is going to take is currently unknown as it depends on the number of movers involved.
As far as earthquake safety goes, there are currently no plans. However, Dobb believes that there may be some retrofitting plans when the time comes for the demolition of Warren Hall and the bridge.
With all the renovation projects going on at once in the library, it won’t be taking away that much from the library’s budget. About $20,000—around 1 percent of the library’s budget—will be spent on the changes.
