Below is an image of the central stairwell demolition. The construction wall at the top and slightly left of this image is facing the Floyd Avenue stacks.

We thank you for your patience during these important renovations.

Early next week Phase II construction will begin with the closure of the area that will become the John Mapp Graduate Study and Reading Room. This area is directly between the new entrance hall wall and the Special Collections/Cabell Room walls, heading back towards the stacks. The stairwell between the third and fourth floor will also be closed as demolition of that stairwell will begin mid-month.

Special Collections and Archives will remain open with limited hours and service through the Media and Reserves Services Desk for the next few weeks.

An image of the fourth floor entrance hall, two days before completion:

Here are some images of the process; more photographs are available via the link at the bottom of this entry.

Out with the old:

In with the new:

The third floor and most of the second floor have been cleared for the deliveries to those locations, which begin Wednesday, May 23rd. If you usually study in these areas you will find plenty of seating on the first floor, in the second floor group study zone and on the fourth floor. We appreciate your patience while we get our new furnishings in place.

The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) will be reachable via the stairwell behind the elevators, stairwell #4. Visitors to CTE who require elevator access should call 828-1108 or come to the Media & Reserves Services desk on the third floor of Cabell Library to be escorted from the freight elevator to CTE's offices.

Signs will be posted to help visitors navigate their way to and on the floor. We apologize for any inconvenience.

For additional renovation updates, visit the Renovations Blog.

Known impacts to services include:

--Assistive Technology Room and Accessible Public Workstations:
The Assistive Technology Room and the two accessible public workstations on the first floor will be unavailable from Monday, May 14 to Wednesday, May 16. If possible, service will be restored on Tuesday, May 15.

--Public Printing Stations:
1st floor: from Monday, May 14 to Wednesday, May 16
If possible, service will be restored on Tuesday, May 15.

2nd and 3rd floors: from Wednesday, May 23 to Thursday, May 24.
If possible, service will be restored on Wednesday, May 23.

Printing services will be available on either the first or the second and third floors during the entire installation process. At no time will printing services be completely unavailable. Library patrons may also print in the basement lab.

--i-Mac workstations:
1st floor: from Monday, May 14 to Thursay, May 24

--Public workstations:
2nd floor: Friday, May 18 - Thursday, May 24
3rd floor: Thursday, May 17 - Thursday, May 24
If possible, service will be restored on Wednesday, May 23.

--Microfilm/fiche readers:
3 of the 4 workstations will need to be stored temporarily; the 4th machine will be located in the Media and Reserves room nearby on the third floor.

A view into the Special Collections and Archives Reading Room.

A view from inside the Reading Room towards the main entrance to Special Collections and Archives.

The staff work area is also near completion. Note the back wall is temporary, and will be open to the Special Collections and Archives stacks after construction.

-May 11-14: Older furniture begins to be relocated or sent to surplus. Selected public computers will be temporarily stored until installation is completed.

-May 15-18: Delivery and set-up of first floor furniture.

-May 21-25: Delivery and set-up of second and third floor furniture.

Please bear with us as the furniture delivery takes place. Because it is such a large amount of furniture, the elevators will be heavily used both in moving the old furniture out and the new furniture in. Public computers and other equipment will need to be temporarily moved out of harms way, but will be put back in place as soon as it is safe to do so. Library staff will be working with Disability Services to alert them to brief periods when our public accessible computers and assistive technology rooms will be impacted. Appropriate signage will be posted within the library alerting patrons to the various delivery activities.

By June, Cabell Library will be a much improved place to study with a new and spruced up look, ready for summer term researchers and students. Combined with the completion of the fourth floor renovation in July, the upgraded library environment will help welcome new and returning students this fall.

The timing of the construction has coincided with spring semester which impacts students studying in the library, which is regrettable. Despite hopes for the renovation to take place between semesters, unavoidable delays and news that the project would take significantly longer than anticipated to complete determined that there was no scheduling which would permit better timing. VCU Libraries staff has worked closely with the construction team to avoid noisy tasks at peak hours. Construction takes place during the workday only, permitting quiet study evenings and weekends. In addition, the noisiest components of the project are scheduled for after exams. A new quiet study area on the second floor has been established. The new area is identified by signs and is at the front of the building on the second floor overlooking the bus stop, facing the Cathedral.

At project completion: for the first time, graduate students will have a dedicated reading room, as is common at many universities. Cabell Library's excellent Special Collections and Archives department will have a badly needed rejuvenation and added space to house its important collections. Added exhibit space and an improved overall fourth floor appearance will mean a truly fine facility for the VCU community. VCU Libraries is extremely sensitive to the issues the construction causes for students, however, and appreciate understanding as these improvements move forward.

The main hallway, this view is facing away from the elevators.