By Monica Holland
Forest Park library manager
Thank you, students, for putting up with recent construction at the Forest Park library!
You’ve had to use new routes to get to the library and listen to a good amount of noise, but we are glad to see so many of you still showing up to use your library space.
Signs have been posted to help you find the library via halls in the tunnel, but I am not sure everyone knows exactly what is happening with the library this semester. Allow me to deconstruct the construction projects for you.
Modern entrance
Construction began Sept. 16 for the new front doors to the library lobby. By the time you read this, I hope that project is completed, and you are using these doors.
The new doors are much like the entrance doors at the Student Center, with a main set of automatic sliding doors that open wide enough to allow more than one person to enter at a time. On either side is a manual door available for use. These will be handy if there is a power outage.
What is missing, but will not be missed, are the metal guide rails leading to the old automatic library doors. It was so nice to see those go away, leaving behind a clean and modern passageway into and out of the lobby.
We look forward to a warmer lobby and library this winter, with doors that will close fully after someone passes through them. Expect to see the tall tables and stools and the benches back in place, and the lobby once again available for your use!
Lounge seating
The colorful and comfortable Brody lounges have been well received in the library, as well as in various hallways throughout campus.
The three Brodys on the main floor of the library are connected to power, so you can use the outlet near the seat to charge your devices. The five on the upper level are not connected to power at this time, but we hope they will be soon.
Many of you ask us to point you to an available outlet in the library, and it is our sincere hope that outlets will be much more plentiful in the not-too-distant future. The library was awarded funds to install outlets in places that have been lacking them since the buildings were constructed in the 1960s. Let’s hope this project gets underway soon. Please stay tuned.
New elevator
We are also getting a larger, ADA-compliant elevator for students, staff, and faculty using the library and Academic Success & Tutoring center. A hallway will run from the library lobby through part of the library workroom to the new elevator.
This project started in August and was quite a noisemaker in the beginning! We were surprised at how loud the work was for a couple of those days, and yet a good number of you continued to use your library space. We made sure we had earplugs available to all interested in using them.
The last update has a finish date of early 2022, possibly in January. Please note for ADA access to tutoring during this construction project, please reach out to Kim Crank (kcrank@stlcc.edu) or Monica Holland (mholland51@stlcc.edu). Tutoring will be provided on main floor of the library.
Water leaks
Consulting firms have been hired to determine the cause of water leaks from the soffit that runs along the ceiling on the upper level of the library and the water infiltration along the foundation of the library building that shows up in the Bone Room and various tutoring spaces.
Once the consultants determine the causes, the college will know what repairs are needed and will work to make those repairs happen in a timely manner.
Library staff are hyper-vigilant anytime it rains, and we appreciate our patrons alerting us when they see water where it shouldn’t be. Once these problems are fixed, we look forward to new carpet on the upper level of the library and in the tutoring spaces on the lower level.
Full services
Your library is offering full services during these projects, including:
- Circulation help
- Research help + Ask-a-Librarian
- Course reserves
- Book scanners
- Printers
- Quiet study areas
- Small group study areas with whiteboards
Please let us know about services you would like your library to offer or other ways we can make the space even more useful for you. A suggestion box is located at the circulation desk, or send me an email at mholland51@stlcc.edu.
Thank you for using your library space and services. We continue to be free, friendly and here for you!