That’s right! Things are starting to take shape up on Level 1. Ceilings are certainly not the first place you look, but it is the first place you work during construction. So the lights have all been replaced with environmentally friendly LED lighting, the ceiling has been painted, as has many of the walls. And one of the biggest projects was the overhead fire door installation. That was completed today and it looks pretty nice.

The new overhead fire door on Level 1. With this in we can re-open the center stairwell.

The carpet came in too! Boxes and boxes of it. What do you think?

Check out the new carpet! (pardon our mess)

We are also seeing the data visualization lab taking shape. This is going to be a centerpiece of the floor!

The data visualization lab is starting to take shape!

We are looking good and on target!

Happy Friday! If you happened to be in Homer Babbidge today I hope you brought a sweatshirt! The steam shut down was longer than anticipated so it was pretty chilly.

Today we had the pleasure of showing Simon Neame, Dean of the UMass Amherst Library around the changes while he visited and we snapped a few photos to share.

See that wall? This is what will soon become bar top work stations all around the raised floor where the desktop computer were.

This is wild – see that circle. That used to be a brick wall and now it’s open. This is partly why things have been so loud and why the center staircase has been unavailable this week. 

Martha Bedard, Vice Provost and Simon Neame, Dean of the UMass Amherst Library get an update from Holly Phillips, Assistant Vice Provost.

Getting ready to welcome UITS Service Center offices.

This week we have started to see a few finishes, but mostly structural work on Level 1. The paint that you may have smelled when coming in is from the fresh coat on all of the ceiling on the floor. Looks nice, clean and bright. Take a look at the progress.

From the center staircase, looking East, walls are being framed where new computer spaces will be

The new glass window where our new MakerSpace will be located

The new flooring in the UITS Service Center looks like wood, but is actually carpet!

This is the view into the new event space on Level 4.

So what has all the noise been about? Two major demo projects – the first is what is happening in the photo below. You may recognize the lower blue concrete wall that encases the center staircase coming up from the Plaza. The grey cement behind it is now gone. It will be open similar to the entrance to the stairs on the Plaza.

There is also work being done to add another unisex and accessible bathroom on the floor. Work in these two areas is where the jackhammer drilling is happening. We expect that there will be more drilling next week so be prepared for noise.

There is also a shell started for what will be a new computer bar that runs around the perimeter of the computer cafe. These will be high-top seating with stools, and lots of power to plug in.

So maybe not quite like this, but today we expect the start of some demolition on interior brick walls on Level 1 so the noise level will be very high. We apologize in advance for this.

A bit of a war zone…

I just got word that the technicians working on the compact shelving on Level A have just finished. That means for the first time in Homer Babbidge history, we have 3 sections of working compact shelving. The refurbished (old) compact shelving has been released and can be used by library staff and patrons. Please note that my students are working furiously to reshelve all of the bottom shelf books that had to be moved due to the refurbishing project. We are about 1/3 of the way through.

One other small detail to note is that the label holders for the stacks are still back ordered. They will be installed as soon as they come in.

Here’s the latest update on the Level A mobile stacks.

1^st. The new moveable stacks are almost complete. In fact, we are starting to shelve books on them for the next part of the project. They move effortlessly and they look nice.

2^nd. The technicians have started working on our old, existing moveable stacks. They have started to remove the end panels, motors and wiring from the stacks on the left as you enter the stacks from the elevators. This means that the stacks and the material within the stacks on the left side, are now completely inaccessible.

Construction on Level 4 and Level A is moving along. Everyday the workers are building out the new spaces making them ready for the start of the Fall semester. The Humanities Institute is really starting to take shape as the workers are renovating the Research Carrels, turning them into offices and new walls are going up in the space. The Level A mobile stacks are starting to take shape as the workers install the new carriages complete with book shelves. The space is really beginning to transform.

We are currently having the Level 1 diamond walls patched and painted a new fresh color. With that said the scanners in the middle of the diamond are covered in plastic and out of commission until the paint job is complete. Two of the printers (the color printer and a black and white) have been moved to the table to the right of the diamond and are operational …

Once the painter is finished with the job, all of the printers and scanners will be back up and running.