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Hale Library Blog

Month: December 2020

Building update: Furniture is here!

Posted on by Cailin Riley

We didn’t know it was possible to be this excited about new furniture, but here we are!

Last week, about 700 pieces of furniture were delivered to the second floor of Hale Library. From there, the furniture was sorted and dispersed throughout the library to their respective locations. Now, crew members have started unpacking and setting up the new pieces, which include tables, chairs, office desks and other workspace furniture. More furniture will be arriving over the next several weeks.

A picture of furniture, including desks, set up in offices on the third floor.
Some offices in Hale Library, including these offices on the third floor, have already been outfitted with new desks and shelving. Now all that’s missing is our fantastic staff!
A picture of workstations being installed on the fifth floor.
Workstations on the fifth floor are in the process of being installed. We can’t wait to see lots of friendly faces in this space in the future.
A picture of delivered furniture boxes laid out on the second floor.
Pieces of office furniture are placed on the second floor before being distributed throughout the building.

Another exciting development last week was the carpeting of the second floor of Historic Farrell Library. The main area will house current print journals and study space for students.

A picture of filled Stack C and empty Stack D.
Library staff are still working on filling the stacks with books, but things are moving quickly! We are thrilled to see our collection back in the building.

The Dow Center for Multicultural and Community Studies will be located on the other side of the beautiful wood and glass wall at the east end of the room. The Center’s mission is to provide a space for students, faculty, staff and the community to explore human diversity, the changing landscape of American demographics and the impact of globalization.

A picture of the carpeted second floor of Historic Farrell Library.
This beautiful, newly carpeted space on the second floor of Historic Farrell Library will provide lots of natural light, a top request from students for renovated study spaces.
A picture of the carpeted second floor of the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab.
A sneak peek of the second floor of the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab shows that carpet has been added. To the left, you can see one of the original 1927 doorways to Historic Farrell Library.
A picture of crew member Bryan Hauck works on refinishing one of the original 1927 doors for Historic Farrell Library.
Crew member Bryan Hauck works on refinishing one of the original 1927 doors for Historic Farrell Library. We appreciate the crew’s efforts in restoring these special, historic elements of the building.

As we get ready to say goodbye to 2020, we are filled with excitement and anticipation for what 2021 will bring for Hale Library. By the start of spring semester most of Hale Library will be accessible to patrons and visitors. Other spaces, including the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab, will still be undergoing work due to the volume of technology and equipment.

Thank you for joining us this far on Hale Library’s journey and all of us at K-State Libraries wish you a happy and healthy holiday season!

Building update: Prepping for furniture to arrive

Posted on by Cailin Riley

We’re less than a week shy of Winter Break, which means that soon, Hale Library will be closing to work on renovations in time for the start of the spring semester. At that point, the five floors of the library will open to the public and K-State community. The Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab will open later in spring.

As you can imagine, getting closer to completing most of the renovations means that the bulk of construction is finished and final touches, including shelving, lighting and furniture installation are currently in progress.

One exciting development is that the Great Room has been completely carpeted, as well as most of the fifth floor! The Academic Learning Center space on the fourth floor also has been carpeted.

A picture of the Great Room, fully carpeted.
A view from the fourth floor balcony reveals the nearly completed Great Room.
Another picture of the Great Room, this time showing the completed bookshelves.
The Great Room has been fully carpeted. To the left, you can see the restored murals and bookshelves.
A picture of crew members carpeting the fifth floor.
Last month, crew members spent time carpeting the fifth floor in preparation for furniture installation.
Crew members working on installing cubicles on the fifth floor.
Crew members are now installing employee workstations on the fifth floor.

New furniture, including workstations, has started arriving to the library; more new furniture for the upper floors is expected to arrive soon.

A picture of the new kitchenette installed on the fourth, in the ALC area.
The Academic Learning Center on the fourth floor has been carpeted and includes a new kitchenette area. In the background, you can see the “We Are the Dream” mural, which now has lighting installed above it.

Shelving installation on the third and fourth floors is nearly complete and crew members are also setting up shelving in the special collections space on the fifth floor.

On the south side of the fourth floor, more shelving has been installed.
On the south side of the fourth floor, more shelving has been installed. Crew members have nearly completed shelving on the third and fourth floors of the library.
The east end of the third floor includes shelving for multimedia materials.
The east end of the third floor includes shelving for multimedia materials.
A picture of the first floor entrance to the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab.
The temporary walls to the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab on the first and second floors have been removed, so now we can see the entrance to the space! The first phase of the Innovation Lab is expected to open later in the spring semester.

We are enthusiastically awaiting the delivery and installation of the rest of the new furniture and hope to share pictures in our next blog post.

We also want to wish good luck to students, faculty and the K-State community during this finals week. You’re nearly there and a well-deserved break lies on the other side!