With students strolling across the University of Utah Marriott Library plaza above their heads, construction crews are putting the finishing touches on a massive makeover of Utah's academic library system.
The 110,000-square-foot, underground expansion of the state's premier research library is the final element of an ambitious effort to upgrade the libraries at all nine campuses in the Utah System of Higher Education.Begun in the wake of a legislative study of library needs in 1988, the $80 million statewide program accelerated toward completion four months ago with the dedication of Utah State University's $16.5 million Science and Technology Library.
This week, Southern Utah University will open its new $10.4 million, 80,000-square-foot library, the largest between Las Vegas and Provo.
And four months from now, the U.'s $34 million addition to the Marriott Library will be finished. Built two stories beneath the surface along three sides of the existing library, it will nearly double the amount of usable space and provide state-of-the-art access to the information superhighway.
But while the brick-and-mortar portion of the systemwide upgrade is finally nearing completion, officials say the new and improved libraries can't live up to their promise without an expensive infusion of new books, journals, software and staff.
"Overall, we have to feel pretty good with where we are in terms of library development, but we face some problems," said Max Peterson, USU director of libraries.
For example, USU hoped the Legislature would add at least $52,500 to last year's $326,000 appropriation to complete the staffing of the new library. It got nothing. It also got no additional money for new acquisitions and soaring prices.
"Inflation will cost us an additional $250,000 just to stay where we are," Peterson said. The deficit could lead to curtailed services or hours of operation at the new library, he added.
Meanwhile, USU is also trying to keep pace with a five-year plan to raise its libraries to what's known as Level 1 research status. The effort requires $1.3 million in new money each year, a target the university reached last year. Hopes of achieving the goal again this year are fading, Peterson said.
USU's million-volume collection in the old Merrill and new Science and Technology libraries is roughly half the size of most major research universities.
Despite the challenges ahead, Peterson said the USU community is pleased with its new library. The four-story, 111,000-square-foot facility houses the university's science, technology and agriculture collections, which were split off from the nearby Merrill Library.
The new facility also boasts a state-of-the-art electronic and telecommunications grid, ensuring it a central role in an academic library network that will link information resources at all nine public campuses and Brigham Young University.
Sponsored by the Utah Academic Library Consortium, the network will be launched this year by Weber State University, Snow College and SUU. USU and the U. are scheduled to link up to it next year, followed later by the remaining schools.
Diana Graff, SUU director of libraries, said the Cedar City school had to change its wiring plans twice during construction to keep up with fast-moving innovations. The completed facility, which opens on Wednesday, March 20, is ready for the new online information age, said Graff.
More importantly, the new library can help SUU reach its goal of becoming a regional university. "I think it was critical to us becoming a real university," Graff said.
Not only was the old library cramped and inadequate, it had no windows, no humidity control and lacked the basic electrical power needed to operate more than a few computers.
"Now we can spread out," Graff said. Also, the school's special books will be safe and patrons will have an unparalleled view from a dramatic bank of windows.
Windows of a different kind - light wells and skylights - are also important features in the Marriott Library expansion in Salt Lake City. Although the addition is underground, it's by no means a dungeon.
"Everyone who has seen it has been impressed by its size and by how light it is," said library director Sarah C. Michalak.
Glen R. Cameron, library facilities coordinator, said the building was designed to provide "three points of natural light" from almost every vantage point. It was built underground to preserve the open spaces, particularly the popular plaza, surrounding the existing library, Cameron explained.
Ranked 51st among research libraries nationwide last year, the U.'s library has reportedly slipped two places this year despite the growth. That's because national rankings measure collections, current serials, staff and ongoing budgets, not capital improvements, Michalak said.
Even though the library will have twice as much space, it will simply spread out its existing collection of about two million volumes instead of filling the shelves with new materials. The staff will increase by only 16. And for the first time in about five years, the U. could see its critically important serial collection decrease instead of increase.
After slashing nearly 2,000 serials from its list in 1990, the U. reversed the trend and gradually brought its annual collection back up to about 13,000. Other universities of comparable size boast serial lists of 20,000 or more titles.
Michalak says without additional resources, the library may once again be looking at cancellations - possibly as many as 1,000 titles. Many of the highly technical journals have doubled and tripled in price over the past four years, she said.
But like USU, the U. community is excited and gratified by the library expansion. Cameron said the U. had already outgrown the existing library by the time it was completed 25 years ago.
Except for the pedestrian detours and heavy equipment at the site, passers-by are generally oblivious to the expansion of the Marriott Library. One visitor recently asked Michalak when work on the new library would begin, unaware that is was almost done.
Work started in April 1994, and has progressed on schedule and within budget, Cameron said. Work was under way this week to complete the technology access system, which will put the U. at the core of the statewide information network.
Cameron said the U. has been at forefront of the technological revolution. "We were well aware it was coming and provided the flexibility in the design to accommodate it," he said.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Westminster groundbreaking
Westminster College held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for a new 47,000-square-foot library, joining a statewide trend toward improved academic libraries.
The college is building its $14 million Giovale Library on the southwest corner of its Salt Lake City campus at 1840 S. 1300 East. Named in honor of college patrons Ginger Gore Giovale and John Giovale, the three-story library is scheduled to be completed in 1997.
Westminster's existing library was built more than 30 years ago, when the college served only 600 students. Today, with an enrollment of 2,200 and the changing demands of technology, the new library will double the college's collection of 150,000 books and accommodate more than 100 networked computer stations.
Westminster President Peggy Stock said, "This outstanding library will become a central hub for a vast network of students, faculty, staff and information services around the world."
In keeping with Westminster's architectural traditions, the new library's modern gothic design features four gables and a tower and will be built of red brick and gray limestone.