Week 7

As construction on the new McNairy Library nears completion, efforts to plan how the collection will move back into the renovated building are heating up.  This week I wrapped up initial calculations of how much material will be moved back into the library on the first floor, where the DVD and reference sections will be housed, and the third and fourth floors, where the juvenile and curriculum collections will be housed.  I also completed initial calculations of how much shelving space will available for these collections, and how full these sections can be filled based on the amount of material going back into the library and the amount of space available.  The purpose of these calculations is to help the librarians make decisions about how much space will be required for each part of the collection, how much room will be available for growth of the collection, and to map out where the collection will fall on the new shelving, which will in turn help the move go as smoothly as possible.  I also received an update on the key events and milestones that will occur throughout the moving process, which helped me to better understand all the things that need to come together over the course of this project.

Working with various library faculty and staff on the planning process helps me to understand how the library operates within the greater context of the university community.  Thus far I've learned about the different functions that librarians perform within the library, and how their work contributes to the overall operation of the library.  I've seen how library faculty help shape and support university curriculum through their efforts to educate students and other faculty about information literacy, and by making critical decisions about collection development.  I've also talked with various faculty members about new initiatives, such as developing a digital repository and implementing a pilot patron driven acquisitions program, which position the library to start serving future needs today.  By participating in meetings about the move and listening to the issues raised not only by library faculty, but also by the university's administrators,  I'm gaining a better understanding of the kinds of administrative issues that must be considered during a large project such as this one, including budgetary, equipment, supply, personnel, facilities, technology and safety issues.  More importantly, however, I'm learning how the library is poised to become part of the next generation of academic libraries, which will not only provide information resources to support the educational and research goals of the university, but will also serve as a learning commons where members of the community can gather for a wide variety of events such as technology training, group meetings, seminars and workshops.  The library seeks to become a public space seen by the university community as the go-to place for campus gatherings and activities of all types, in addition to taking the more traditional role of providing study and work spaces for students and faculty.