Sacramento State’s University Library will be temporarily closed this summer to conduct asbestos abatement on the first floor, lower level, and breezeway. The maintenance also will allow the University to move forward with much-needed future improvements, such as upgrades to the fire alarm system, electricity, and lighting.
The library is scheduled to be closed from 5 p.m. Friday, May 20, to 7:30 a.m. Monday, Aug. 8. The goal is for the library to be open again in time for the fall semester.
Staff and faculty displaced by the closure will be moved temporarily out of the library. The tentative plan is to relocate them to Sequoia Hall and Folsom Hall. More location details will be forthcoming. Among the programs and centers that will be moved are the following: International Programs and Global Engagement, the Multi-Cultural Center, First Year Experience, the Center for College and Career Readiness, the Center for Teaching and Learning, and the Community Engagement Center.
During this period, there will be no physical access to library collections or research computers. Sacramento State students and faculty, however, will be able to receive research assistance from library employees at the University Library Special Collections and University Archives; to submit questions for research and teaching materials via Inter-Library Loan (ILLiad); and to access materials remotely on the library’s website. In addition, they will be able to use computers and study space in the University Union and the Academic Information Resource Center (AIRC).
The Library Gallery exhibit scheduled for the summer will be presented as scheduled. Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s One-Stroke Calligraphy Touring Exhibit runs July 1-29, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. A special opening reception will be held 1-5 p.m. Friday, July 1. Several related activities also will take place as scheduled in the gallery. Sacramento State has taken great effort to welcome this exhibit, changing the project’s schedule so that the Library Gallery can remain open allowing the public to safely view the display and take part in the related activities.
The campus has contracted with a licensed abatement specialist to complete the work. Additionally, an outside third-party expert will oversee the project to make sure the abatement is appropriately completed. The work will be contained in a manner that will prevent any exposure to the campus community. Regular air tests will be completed throughout the abatement process to ensure that no fibers become airborne.
Because the University Library will be limited to providing core services, members of the general public are encouraged to use the Sacramento Public Library during the temporary closure. Sacramento Public Library locations can be found at www.saclibrary.org/locations.
The University has notified the employee organizations representing affected employees and is in the process of meeting and conferring over the impacts on bargaining unit members. There may be changes to the tentative plans as a result of these negotiations.
For more information, please contact University Library Dean Amy Kautzman at (916) 278-5657 and kautzman@csus.edu, or visit the library project page at library.csus.edu/summer16. The web page will be updated as the project progresses. – Elisa Smith