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Hale Library Blog

Month: August 2020

Building Update: A “Back to School” like never before

Posted on by Cailin Riley

The fall semester has officially begun, and here at the Libraries we are especially excited to have students back in the building.

It has been both an exhilarating and challenging experience welcoming students and patrons back to the Libraries after the summer break. As our staff work hard to help patrons and students while prioritizing safety, we want to say thank you to library visitors who are following guidelines and doing their best to keep their fellow Wildcats safe. We are all learning together through these unprecedented times, and we appreciate visitors’ patience and positive attitudes regarding COVID-19 guidelines.

K-State students study on the first floor while wearing masks.
K-State students practice social distancing while studying in a nook on the first floor.
On the second floor, masked students study near the east end windows
On the second floor, masked students study near the east end windows.

We also are thrilled about the progress with the upper floors. While work on the fifth floor has mostly paused for the moment, the third and fourth floors have undergone a rather dramatic transformation in just the last few weeks alone. The third floor, in particular, looks very polished with brand new carpeting, ceiling tile and lighting. The fourth floor has received further plaster and ceiling work as well.

The third floor is now carpeted, with board walkways for crew members.
The main area of the third floor is now completely carpeted. The tan-colored walkways are boards that crew members use to get around the space to avoid walking on the carpet.
The area outside of the Friends of the K-State Libraries Instruction Room is carpeted as well.
The area outside of the Friends of the K-State Libraries Instruction Room is carpeted as well. In the future, this area will have more soft seating.
This is a recent picture of the second floor of the Innovation Lab, looking toward the Historic Farrell entrance.
This is a recent picture of the second floor of the Innovation Lab, looking toward the Historic Farrell entrance. As you can see, the space is really starting to take shape.
A picture of the fourth floor, still under heavy construction with dim lighting.
The fourth floor of the library is still under heavy construction, with crew members focusing on the replacement of pipes and 

ceilings.

Crew members work on repairing plaster in the fourth floor Academic Learning Center.
Crew members work on repairing plaster in the fourth floor Academic Learning Center. This area overlooks the event gallery space on the third floor.
A picture of the walls surrounding the Great Room murals, painted purple, cream and green.
The areas surrounding the Great Room murals have been painted with purple, cream and sage green. It is so exciting to see some fresh color come into the space!
A picture of a Great Room mural, with white cornices, or decorative moldings on either side.
There are three new cornices, or decorative moldings in the Great Room – one each at the east and west ends of the south wall, and one on the north wall. The other original cornices were cleaned and painted white. The plaster repair company took molds from the original cornices to create the three new ones.

It is heartening to see that despite the challenges the Libraries and K-State are facing this semester as a whole, people are still working together to create something beautiful and meaningful. We love seeing students explore the new spaces and hear their remarks on what they think of the renovation. Most of all, we relish the chance to remind them that while Hale Library might look pretty different, it is still a safe space for them to learn, and our staff’s mission to be of service has not changed.

Building update: Familiar spaces, new additions

Posted on by Cailin Riley

We can’t believe that the start of fall semester is next week! Though we’ve encountered many challenges both on campus and throughout the community, the Libraries have forged ahead to ready the building for students as they return to campus and start classes.

Belfor team members stack boxes of books onto carts.
A very exciting piece of news is that the first load of books within the general collection has been moved back into the library! The sorted books were removed from boxes and put on the shelves within the stacks.
A picture of Kay Rieder and the Belfor team in front of shelves of books.
Kay Rieder, a Belfor team leader, poses with several team members in front of the first filled book shelf in Hale Library. Kay and her team have been extremely important to our success with the library materials since the fire two years ago.

Recently, the first floor of Hale Library reopened for the semester, along with the Math/Physics Library. This means that when students return to campus, they will have access to both floors of Hale Library and multiple resources to start classes strong. These resources include access to the IT and Library help desks, computer work stations, printers, study rooms and more.

The first floor of Hale Library looks even better now than it did when it first opened last fall. Joyce and Joe’s Cornerstone Café is nearly finished and has been filled with furniture. The new color-changing fireplace has been cause for much excitement. But don’t worry about the fire itself—it’s fake!

A picture of the cafe, filled with tables and soft seating.
The cafe furniture includes individual tables, a large high-top table and several soft seating areas near the fireplace.
Crew members work on welding the stairs within the Innovation Lab.
Workers are welding the staircase that connects the first and second floors of the future Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab.
A picture of construction equipment and materials within the digital media lab.
The interior rooms and work spaces within the Innovation Lab are being outfitted with new ceiling tile.

Much of the work on floors 1 through 3 the past week or so has revolved around installing carpeting and grinding metal stair pieces for staircases that are currently closed to the public. The third floor, in particular, has made significant progress.

The third floor, fleshed out with ceiling tiles.
The main area of the third floor is looking great and will be ready for carpet soon. This area will be filled with collections and study areas.
The west end of the third floor, with carpeting.
The west end of the third floor is now carpeted. We love how the third floor hallway has a modern look but still includes exposed limestone from the 1955 stacks addition!

It’s been an unusual summer here at the Libraries and K-State for certain, but we are excited to have students back in Hale Library and hope they fall in love with the new spaces as much as we have.

A worker on a lift paints the wall surrounding a Great Room mural.
A worker on a lift works begins to paint the wall surrounding one of the murals in the Great Room. The murals will be fully restored, with work starting this upcoming semester.