September 2007 Update

Date: Fall Semester 2007
To: University of Hawaii at Hilo and Hawaii Community College Students and Local Big Island Community
From: Linda Marie Golian-Lui, University Librarian
Re: Update 2: Renovation of the Edwin H. Mookini Library

The renovation of the third floor is complete! Over the Summer 2007 break, library services located on the second floor (Reference, Circulation, Library Instruction, and Library Administration) moved to the third floor so that Phase II can begin.

The Phase II asbestos abatement on the second floor (the main floor of the Mookini Library) is complete, and they are painting all the walls and installing new carpet and tiling.

Currently, we are hoping to begin moving some library services back down to the second floor beginning in October 2007 and continue to plan to reopen the second floor with full services by early January 2008.

Once again, the scope of the renovation includes, but is not limited to:

• New air handlers for entire building
• Installation of two 24/7 air conditioned areas for the journals and microforms on the third floor and the Hawaiian and Special Collections on the second floor, with 24/7 dehumidifiers installed in the ceiling of these areas
• New carpeting for the entire building
• New floor tiling for the entire building
• New painting throughout the entire building
• Renovation of the Hawaiian Collection office space
• Renovation of the Instruction office space
• Installation of an updated security camera system
• Asbestos abatement
• Installation of compact shelving on the first floor
• Installation of a self-check out book system on the second floor
• Installation of additional book security system
• Installation of a restroom in HITS area
• Creation of several new student collaborative computer work stations
• Increased number of computers for student use
• Increased wireless hubs for student use

To summarize, Phase I: renovation of third floor is now complete. Phase II: renovation of second floor is in process and is expected to be completed in January 2008. Phase III: renovation of the first floor is expected to begin before February 2008.

Before Phase III can begin, all staff currently relocated on the third floor will have to be relocated back to the second floor. All Reference materials will be returned to their original area, all Circulation materials will be returned to their original area, and the Hawaiian Collection will be moved back to the original room.

All materials on the first floor will have to be moved to the second floor, the third floor, or into temporary storage. More information will be available once we know where we will be placing materials during Phase III.

We will once again try to accomplish the tasks associated with Phase III in the most effective and least disruptive fashion in order to accommodate the needs of our students.

The safety and needs of our students and faculty remains a top priority during the planning and implementation of the renovation. Every effort is being made to continue providing services and access to library materials. We ask for your understanding and support as we move through this renovation project together so that we can have a library that will be more functional, efficient, secure, and attractive to our users.

To compensate for the lack of access to some library materials, increased intra-system borrowing (from other UH Libraries) and interlibrary borrowing (from non-UH libraries) will continue to be provided. The Public Services librarians are knowledgeable concerning our collection, and are ready to provide patron assistance in fully utilizing the core materials of our collection.

A special web page (http://library.uhh.hawaii.edu/renovation.htm) has been created to communicate renovation updates quickly. This page is also available from the Mookini Library home page (http://library.uhh.hawaii.edu/) under the Quick Links section on the far right side.

Check the renovation web page often for current news and information about this exciting project. If you still have additional questions or concerns, please contact me at golianlu@hawaii.edu or at 974-7329.