Engineering to renovate library

The stacks are overcrowded. The space is narrow. The equipment is outdated. These are just a few of the reasons why Engineering Dean Gregory Farrington struck a deal with Vice Provost for Libraries Paul Mosher to finance the restructuring and refurbishing of the Moore and Towne libraries of the Engineering School. The deal, which Farrington has dubbed "the Goody deal" because it was agreed upon in front of the Sam Goody music store on 34th Street, provides for the completion of some temporary renovations. The actual work is scheduled to begin in mid-May, he said. "If I found some money to put into the library, [Mosher said] he would find some money to put into the library," Farrington said earlier this month. Though Farrington is "not exactly sure" how much the entire project will cost, he estimates that it will be "somewhere in the range of $100,000." And even though the University is in the midst of a budget crisis, Farrington said he will try to find the money from various sources. A plan for a new library, which will occupy space in Hayden Hall, is also in the works, he added, but the room will not become available for up to a decade. Before the new Hayden Hall library can be constructed, the bioengineering labs and other facilities that currently occupy the space are expected to be moved into the Institute for Advanced Science and Technology when its completed, Farrington said. Farrington stressed the importance of the temporary undertaking, saying that before the new library will be built "four to six to eight [graduating] classes will go through this school." He added that currently "the library is not in the condition we would want for our students." "Why should we wait [until the Hayden Hall library can be built]?," Mosher said last week, adding that Farrington's idea is "wonderful." The money put up by Farrington and the Engineering School, in an effort to make the library "more pleasant to use," is expected to go towards improving the infrastructure of the building, including new paint, new lighting and a new checkout area. These improvements will benefit the school after the library moves out, he said, making the project a viable investment. The money provided by Vice Provost Mosher is expected to finance investments in such portable equipment as new stacks, new furniture and possibly a few computers. This equipment can ultimately be transferred and utilized in the new library. Another joint project in the works centers on the purchase of new books that will help in classroom education, as opposed to research purposes, Farrington said. "[We are] working with the library to improve the collection," he said, adding that he has raised approximately $35,000 of his $50,000 goal "from all sorts of sources within the school."

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