Under Construction

Under Construction

Moving from the Disco Era into the Information Age

KT Vaughan & Elizabeth Teaff

Completed in 1979, Leyburn Library remained largely unaltered into the 21st century, with the exception of a main floor renovation completed in 2009 and improvements to Northen Lobby finished in 2017. Now, Leyburn Library welcomes additional renovations while preparing to serve as the home for the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning.

Plans for Lower Level 1 spaces include a new Writing Center, a classroom/meeting room with glass moveable walls overlooking Woods Creek, an experimental classroom, a video editing space, offices for the Harte Center and Academic Technologies, a Special Collections classroom, and spaces to support various forms of study. While the Harte Center will reside on Leyburn Library’s Lower Level 1, both Lower Levels 1 and 2 are undergoing construction. Lower Level 2 will be the new location of our Collection Services department and will receive a brand-new classroom. In addition to the creation of new spaces, this partial renovation allows Leyburn to better meet student needs in today’s information age.

Construction on this project started in earnest during the summer of 2020. Although slightly delayed due to various factors, including the pandemic, we are on course to open the spaces for the Fall 2021 term.

Turn the page to view what we’ve done so far, and what will happen during 2021.

As construction coincided with the pandemic, the university set protocols to ensure the safety of construction crews and W&L community members. At various times, these included the designation of construction only spaces and reminders to social distance.

Plastic sheeting separates construction space from browsable stacks on Leyburn’s Lower Level 2.

New offices for Collection Services take shape on Leyburn’s Lower Level 2.

What We’ve Done

June-July 2020

American Interfile and Library Relocation Services moved nearly every volume, not including the reference collection, in Leyburn Library. Books with call numbers in the A’s are on Lower Level 1 and books with call numbers in the Z’s are on Lower Level 4. Call numbers now flow from A-Z in an uninterrupted and logical manner from the top of the building to the bottom floor. Low-use items, such as bound journals, microcards and government documents, moved into compact shelving. Overall, this created space on Lower Level 1 for the Harte Center and on Lower Level 2 for new staff spaces and a classroom.

August 2020

The construction firm Kjellstrom and Lee (K+L) removed empty shelving on Lower Levels 1 and 2 and rearranged furniture in Leyburn to create socially distant student-study spaces for the duration of the project. A full-building upgrade to the fire-safety system started and will continue through November 2020.

September-October 2020

Contractors first demolished the northeastern and southwestern sections of Lower Level 2 to accommodate the new Collection Services suite, on the Elrod Commons’ side, and a new university classroom, on the Science Center’s side. The firm framed the new spaces, improved the HVAC and electrical systems and drywalled rooms. The new suite will include an integrated digitization space for high-end scanning, offices and team workspaces, all with natural light. One large classroom will accommodate current university needs for large, socially distant spaces. During this period, Lower Level 2 remained inaccessible MondayFriday, from opening until 6 p.m. The library pulled needed materials located on Lower Level 2 upon patron request.

A new, large classroom takes advantage of Leyburn’s plentiful windows.

What We’ll Do

November-December 2020

Work on Lower Level 2 will conclude before the winter holidays. The library will close to visitors for a few days before Thanksgiving to allow for the very disruptive, final testing phase of the fire safety upgrades. We also plan to upgrade carpet on Lower Level 4.

January 2021-August 2021

In January, K+L contractors expect to start construction on Lower Level 1, the first phase of the Harte Center renovation proper. As a construction zone, much of Lower Level 1 will be closed to public use from January through the end of the project. Special Collections and Northen Auditorium will remain accessible through this period. During construction, the library will pull needed materials located on Lower Level 1 upon patron request.

We hope to invite you all to Leyburn for the grand opening next year. In the meantime, keep an eye on our social media for updates!