FIRST FLOOR IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

The first floor renovation, including the new reading room, is complete and we hope you are as delighted with it as we are! The reading room is a large, well-lit, VERY QUIET study space. Open reserve is now on the first floor as well, along with all staff offices.

The BASEMENT level is open and accessible from the first floor, down the hallway and taking either the stairwell or the elevator. The basement level lab is open. And if your files are on a flash drive, we also have a plug & print station set up next to the photocopier on the first floor.

The PLAZA level is now closed for renovation and is scheduled to re-open at the start of the Spring semester. It will host additional group study rooms, additional study carrels, and a new computer lab.

Thank you all for your patience during this construction time, but we think you'll agree that the results are well worth it!

Law Library Construction Update

Construction has begun, and progress will be reported here from time to time. Above is a floorplan for the first floor law library expansion, which we expect to open to staff and patrons toward November, 2008. The new first floor will consist of a large reading room, seating about 100, with nearby circulation and reference areas, as well as more efficient technical service staff space, on the left of this drawing.

There will be two restrooms on this floor, near the elevator, and the circular stairs shown in the left hand middle of this drawing will be used to travel from the first floor down to the plaza and basement levels.

Once the first floor is complete, we will move, and the plaza level will be closed for its upgrade. The plaza area office space, behind what is now the Circulation Desk, will be replaced with about 73 student carrels. The plaza, and therefore the entire law library, should be completed by late December, 2008.

Entering the Plaza Level Lab

Visitors to the P-90 lab will enter an empty ante-room, which will remain empty, until plumbing, hvac, and other fixtures are installed in the ceiling above, for service on the first floor.

Law Library Construction News

We are delighted to announce that the Plaza Level Computer Lab, P-90, re-opened for out patrons on May 27, 2008, the first day of summer classes. Those visiting P-90 will notice that there are now 13 personal computers instead of 15, and the Macintoshes have gone. New Macintoshes are on the way, and will reside in room B-2, in the law library basement, until construction is complete.

May Construction Scheduled

To install the two unisex restrooms on the floor above the plaza level, plumbing must be installed this summer.
On Monday, May 5th, the ceiling panels in the back law library staff offices and meeting area will be removed. This should not affect library patrons, as most construction is to take place after hours.
On Monday, May 12th, the plaza level computer lab, Room P-90, will be reconfigured. Five computers will be moved out, and a temporary wall installed, creating a smaller lab. A number of computers and printers will remain, but we anticipate sending overflow lab patrons to the 4th floor computer labs, or to the law library basement computer lab, in room B-4.
The ceiling in the plaza level lab will be removed, and the plumbing installed. The plaza computer lab will return to its original configuration by the end of the year.

Lots of Changes in Store - SOON

The much-anticipated law library expansion is scheduled to take place this year in two major parts, and several minor ones.
From May until the end of October, the first floor, directly above the law library's plaza level, is being emptied and will be refitted to law library needs. When the first floor is open for business in early November, there will be a 100-seat reading room, circulation desk, reference desk, and law library staff offices. There will also be two unisex restrooms, near where the service elevator is located, at the Jessie Street end of the library.
From November 1 until New Year's Eve, the plaza level will be redone. Staff offices will be replaced with about 70 student carrels. Some new shelving will be added, existing shelving will be anchored and expanded, and the carpet replaced. During the plaza level redo, only the first floor and the basement of the law library will be open -- the plaza level will be completely sealed off, to prevent dust from spreading.

Lots of Changes in Store!

We’re sure you are aware that the Jesse Street building reconstruction is complete. The offices above the law library on the first floor have moved to their new location in the Jesse Street building. The renovation of the first floor has begun! The heavy work—drilling, pounding, hammering, pounding, and more pounding is mostly scheduled for the night shift so there should be minimal disturbance during law library hours.

We are very excited about the new space. The main entrance to the law library will move to the first floor and we are sure you will be delighted with the new light and airy reading room and reference area. We expect to open the first floor expansion the first week of November. Once that phase is complete, the Plaza level will then be renovated to upgrade the study space and add additional study carrels.