For many students, it means no more shortcuts. The walkway between Clemons Library and Peabody Hall will be blocked for the next two years, as construction proceeds on the new special collections library to replace Miller Hall.
As a result, students who want to go from Newcomb Hall to Clemons will have a much longer and more roundabout walk.
University Librarian Karin Wittenborg said she recognizes that the blocked walkway causes a nuisance, and she is looking into ways to remedy the situation.
One potential solution would be to build a new entrance to Clemons Library from Newcomb Hall.
"Whatever will make it easier for students to access Clemons is a high priority," Wittenborg said.
Under the "worst case scenario" the new entrance would cost $236,000, which is more than the library can afford, Capital Projects Coordinator Jeanne Hammer said.
"It is feasible [as a construction project], but we don't have the money," Hammer said of the new entrance.
Library officials are looking for ways to build the new entrance at a lower price, she said.
They also are hoping to receive private funds for the entrance, Wittenborg said.
The special collections library project will cost a total of $26 million, Hammer said. Private funding is accounting for $16 million of the cost, and $10 million is coming from the state.
Construction of the library, which is expected to be completed in Feb. 2004, still is in its preliminary stages.
Builders now are marking trees to be removed and putting up a fence around the construction site. Next week builders will begin removing the trees, Hammer said.
Senior Project Manager Donald Riggin said construction workers will begin demolishing Miller Hall in mid-May.
Construction will take a brief hiatus during exam weeks to allow students to study more peacefully in the libraries, Wittenborg said.
Despite the annoyance of construction, Wittenborg remains enthusiastic about the new building.
"It's all going to be worth the two years of inconvenience," she said.
The new building will house the University's collection of rare books and manuscripts. It also will have seminar rooms and host studies for visiting scholars.
The library will allow the University to exhibit many more of its most treasured possessions without fear of any of the items deteriorating, Wittenborg said.
The new building's official name is the Mary and David Harrison Institute for American History, Literature and Culture and the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library.
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