Sunday, August 3, 2008
More on the M.D. Anderson Addition
In addition to the new Honors College space, Special Collections also received a new home. Previously, SpecColl was located on the 7th and 8th floors of the Blue wing of the library. Previously the department had been only on the 8th floor, but with the official creation of the University Archives in 1996, the reading room was relocated one floor down in the new archival space.
However, it was decided that Special Collections, as the repository of the university's history as well as precious and unique materials, needed a more prominent location. The need for a larger stacks area was also a concern. The new space has a large stacks area with compact shelving, a large staff work area, librarian offices, and a large and pleasant reading room with reference books available for patrons.
An important aspect of user services is the addition to the department of a classroom that can hold up to 60 students. Now the department can host undergraduate and graduate instructional classes that showcase the materials while also keeping the materials in a secure location. Previously these classes were held elsewhere in the library and so the materials had to leave the department.
Active construction on the new spaces, which included a new Gold wing, as well as reconfigured space in the older Brown and Red wings, began in 2003 and continued through 2005. On the ground floor, new user-friendly additions include approximately 200 computer workstations located in the Access Services department. These computers can be used for research, but also for checking email or surfing, or for watching UH distance education dvd's, which are located next to the computers.
A new Circulation and ILL desk serves as the division between this area and a large entrance foyer. It is easily accessible from both sides. Also included in this area is a leisure reading section with fiction, non-fiction and sci-fi books for checkout, as well as comfortable armchairs for reading. Microfilm and microfiche readers are in this area also.
Across the foyer is the Academic Research Center, which contains approximately 250 more computer workstations on one side, and a large study space with tables on the other. In the middle is the Reference desk, which is accessible to each area as well as the foyer. These computers are for research purposes only and are connected to the databases and printers.
A favorite gathering space for students in the new library addition is the 24 hour student lounge, which is located to the left side of the entrance doors. It contains tables and chairs with internet connections, vending machines and microwaves, restrooms, and a small campus police station. The exterior wall is all glass and so the space is bright and sunny. One floor above in the same space, the new Elizabeth Dennis Rockwell Pavilion, named after a generous UH benefactor, serves as a gathering place for conferences, receptions, and other campus and library events. The second floor also contains a large student study space with chairs and tables.
Below are some pictures of the new user-centered spaces at the M.D. Anderson Library. Maps of the new floors are located at http://info.lib.uh.edu/about/floormaps.html.
However, it was decided that Special Collections, as the repository of the university's history as well as precious and unique materials, needed a more prominent location. The need for a larger stacks area was also a concern. The new space has a large stacks area with compact shelving, a large staff work area, librarian offices, and a large and pleasant reading room with reference books available for patrons.
An important aspect of user services is the addition to the department of a classroom that can hold up to 60 students. Now the department can host undergraduate and graduate instructional classes that showcase the materials while also keeping the materials in a secure location. Previously these classes were held elsewhere in the library and so the materials had to leave the department.
Active construction on the new spaces, which included a new Gold wing, as well as reconfigured space in the older Brown and Red wings, began in 2003 and continued through 2005. On the ground floor, new user-friendly additions include approximately 200 computer workstations located in the Access Services department. These computers can be used for research, but also for checking email or surfing, or for watching UH distance education dvd's, which are located next to the computers.
A new Circulation and ILL desk serves as the division between this area and a large entrance foyer. It is easily accessible from both sides. Also included in this area is a leisure reading section with fiction, non-fiction and sci-fi books for checkout, as well as comfortable armchairs for reading. Microfilm and microfiche readers are in this area also.
Across the foyer is the Academic Research Center, which contains approximately 250 more computer workstations on one side, and a large study space with tables on the other. In the middle is the Reference desk, which is accessible to each area as well as the foyer. These computers are for research purposes only and are connected to the databases and printers.
A favorite gathering space for students in the new library addition is the 24 hour student lounge, which is located to the left side of the entrance doors. It contains tables and chairs with internet connections, vending machines and microwaves, restrooms, and a small campus police station. The exterior wall is all glass and so the space is bright and sunny. One floor above in the same space, the new Elizabeth Dennis Rockwell Pavilion, named after a generous UH benefactor, serves as a gathering place for conferences, receptions, and other campus and library events. The second floor also contains a large student study space with chairs and tables.
Below are some pictures of the new user-centered spaces at the M.D. Anderson Library. Maps of the new floors are located at http://info.lib.uh.edu/about/floormaps.html.
Friday, August 1, 2008
University of Houston M.D. Anderson Library Addition
The M.D. Anderson Library is the main and largest of the system's libraries. Last added on to in the mid 1970s, by the 1990s library and campus leaders realized the need for another expansion,with several distinct goals in mind.
One was the creation of an entirely new space for the Honors College, one of the University's premier programs for outstanding students. The Honors College had for years been located in the basement of the library, in rather dark and unappealing quarters reached on the outside by a narrow concrete stair. The 1998 master Planning Study called for the Honors College to comprise 14,043 square feet of classrooms, receptions and common space, student activity rooms, and administrative offices.
The main goal of the project, however, was the expansion of the library itself, which was in need of additional study space for students and additional computer workstations. A booklet compiled during the early stages of the planning process summed up the essence of the project: A New Kind of Library, for the 21st Century, the Proposed South Wing of the M.D. Anderson Library. This booklet described current and projected computer usage at the library and noted that "usage levels in the Electronic Publications center are projected to be 32 million in 2006" (1). The library was thus anticipating future trends in the accession of information and the growth in digital and electronic media. Before the expansion, the library had only 115 computer workstations. Now it has 250 networked stations, seven collaborative workrooms, and 72 laptops available for students to check out and use in the library. (http://info.lib.uh.edu/studyspace.html).
One was the creation of an entirely new space for the Honors College, one of the University's premier programs for outstanding students. The Honors College had for years been located in the basement of the library, in rather dark and unappealing quarters reached on the outside by a narrow concrete stair. The 1998 master Planning Study called for the Honors College to comprise 14,043 square feet of classrooms, receptions and common space, student activity rooms, and administrative offices.
The main goal of the project, however, was the expansion of the library itself, which was in need of additional study space for students and additional computer workstations. A booklet compiled during the early stages of the planning process summed up the essence of the project: A New Kind of Library, for the 21st Century, the Proposed South Wing of the M.D. Anderson Library. This booklet described current and projected computer usage at the library and noted that "usage levels in the Electronic Publications center are projected to be 32 million in 2006" (1). The library was thus anticipating future trends in the accession of information and the growth in digital and electronic media. Before the expansion, the library had only 115 computer workstations. Now it has 250 networked stations, seven collaborative workrooms, and 72 laptops available for students to check out and use in the library. (http://info.lib.uh.edu/studyspace.html).
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