New Library Buildings Part VIII. The Library of the Health Sciences, University of Illinois at the Medical Center, Chicago BY JOHN N. THEALL, Assistant Directorfor Public Services and Associate Professor
IRWIN H. PIZER, University Librarian and Professor ofLibrary Administration
University of Illinois at the Medical Center Chicago, Illinois ABSTRACT
but that was later abandoned because of changing priorities). The new Library of the Health Sciences at the These efforts continued through the 1960s, and University of Illinois at the Medical Center is described and illustrated. The building was under construction for at the end of the decade the outlook for success thirteen months, using phased construction techniques, had brightened. When Miss Troxel retired in and opened in October 1973. The library is a self- December 1970, a federal grant of almost two contained and physically independent building consisting than half of of three levels above ground and one lower level, million dollars was being sought (less comprising an area of 130,000 sq. ft. gross and 88,000 sq. that amount was finally awarded on the second apft. net. The building provides space for 350,000 volumes, plication), the architects had been retained, and 1,037 readers, and a staff of 100. The cost of construc- the project was about to move to the schematic tion was $5,140,500 plus $858,500 for furnishings and drawing phase.* The new librarian began working equipment. Among the special features are a twentyfour-hour multimedia services department and a full-cir- with the architects at the stage of creation of the culating style book detection system. Included in the initial schematics in September, 1970. article is an evaluation of the library after two years of The site available was L-shaped and required occupancy. the demolition of an older building. In mid-1971 the decision was made not to demolish that structure, and although the library plans had by then to move to architectural drawings, a been THE Library of the Health Sciences of the total about was undertaken. The architects revision University of Illinois at the Medical Center, performed a cost-effectiveness that postuChicago, replaced the former library facilities that lated higher structures with lessstudy square footage had been built in the early 1920s and that opened lower structures that covered the per floor; wider, in 1925. Added onto over the years by expansion into contiguous areas of a building designed for entire site; and all intermediate variations. The teaching and research in the basic sciences, the li- result of the change was a rectangular building of brary by the 1950s was plagued with insufficient four levels. However, since the program and funcspace for collections (necessitating storage and tional relationships of the library departments outside housing of the collection), inadequate staff were already fairly well set, the net effect of the work areas, virtually nonexistent user seating, change was to move a bay of the building, which increasing problems caused by flooding due to had filled the projection of the L-shape, to the opfailure of aging laboratory plumbing, dismal light- posite side of the building. This resulted in much ing, and all other associated problems one cares to larger staff work areas than originally planned for the circulation services, serials, and special collecimagine. A program document was developed by Miss tions departments, a change that proved an unWilma Troxel, the librarian, and her staff, and mitigated blessing. The university had decided to use the library as repeated attempts were made by the university to obtain a new building (including one effort that *This project was supported in part by U.S. Public went so far as a groundbreaking ceremony Health Service Grant No. PHS 1 CO5-PEconducted by the then governor, Adlai Stevenson, 04345-01 from the National Institutes of Health. 402
Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
NEW LIBRARY BUILDING
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FIG. 1.-Exterior of library from southeast corner.
FIG. 2.-View of multimedia services department, showing honeycomb carrel clusters, tables, and tubular steelframe chairs.
Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
403
THEALL AND PIZER
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FIG. 3.-Plan of lower level.
the experimental project for phased construction that can be used for group viewing of media, and a techniques, by which the building progresses in more casual area furnished with oversized twostages of construction as soon as the architectural level hassocks and carpet-covered benches. There plans are complete, rather than waiting for the are five group study rooms of varying sizes, which entire set of drawings to be finished before the seat from six to twelve occupants. Also on the start of bidding and construction. Under such a lower level is the staff lounge, the data processing program it was estimated that the building could area with an adjoining computer room, a records be constructed in some eleven months. Ground- storage office, and a public vending area equipped breaking was held in August 1972, and the library with cold and hot food and drink machines. moved into the building in October 1973. On the first floor (Fig. 4) are located most of the The library is a self-contained and physically in- major service departments of the library: informadependent building consisting of three levels above tion services, circulation services, mediated copy ground and one lower level, all levels being the service, extramural programs, cataloging, and acsame size (Fig. 1). The main entrance to the build- quisitions. The circulation and copy service desks ing is located on the first level and has a ramp to are located to the right of the entrance. Behind the accommodate the physically handicapped. Three circulation desk are a large office area, the exstairwells and two passenger elevators are avail- tramural programs office, shipping and receiving, able for traffic throughout the building. A loading and the service elevator. To the left of the endock is located at the rear of the first floor and is trance are the card catalogs, the reference desk, immediately accessible to the shipping and receiv- the reference collection, and government docuing room and a key-operated service elevator. ments, forming an L-shaped area with seating The lower level is almost entirely devoted to the scattered throughout. This area is flanked by five multimedia services department, which houses offices that house the information services staff. and controls all media hardware and software and Facing the entrance are two passenger elevators. the reserve books on closed shelves (Fig. 2-3). A The acquisitions and cataloging departments are large, open area of this level is used for reading together in one large room behind the elevators. and study purposes, seating almost 500 users. It is The printing room is adjacent to these departfurnished with rows and clusters of wet carrels, ments. table and chair units, electrified hexagonal tables With the exception of the administrative suite of
404
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FIG. 5.-Plan of second floor. Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
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FIG. 6.-Third floor lobby and lounge area.
offices, a conference room, and the serials department, the major part of the second floor (Fig. 5) is used for shelving bound journals. All reader seating is located at the periphery of the collection and is composed of a mixture of table and chair units, lounge chairs, clusters of wet and dry carrels, and five group study rooms. There is also a small seating oasis in the center of the floor. The unbound journals are shelved in a separate area facing the elevators and have their own reader seating. A serials reference desk is located between the two collections. Behind the elevators is a stack area for second copies of heavily used journals. The physical arrangement of the third level is similar to that of the second floor, with the stacks being devoted to the monographic collection and theses (Fig. 6-7). One quadrant of the stacks has just been removed to provide space for the pathology museum. There are two group study rooms on this floor, and the seating arrangements are the same as on the second floor. There is a large multipurpose room that can seat up to seventy persons auditorium-style, or can be divided into two smaller seminar rooms by a folding partition. There is a large lounge seating area outside this room. The special collections department comprises about one-quarter of this floor 406
with a large reading room, a workroom, and a closed stack area. Self-service copy machines are located on each floor of the building, there being a total of seven at the present time. The interiors of the building are colorful and bright. The building is carpeted throughout in a brick-colored twist carpet made of Herculon II, and the furniture is upholstered in four colors, tangerine, plum, cerise, and yellow. All of the metal stacking is white, custom matched to the walls, and all wooden furniture is light oak. Occasional tables are plastic cubes of a deep purple color. Carrels have end panels of the same colors as the furniture, although each major grouping of carrels is the same color. Interiors of carrels are an off-white color called putty, as are all desks and files. All office chairs, except accent pieces, are upholstered in a wheat-colored wool-like fabric. Of special architectural features, the most notable is the lower-level clerestory window along the front of the building. These windows create an open and airy feeling that completely dissipates the sense of being below ground. On the third floor, a light well provides visual interest to the ceiling of the lounge area. Because of prior experiences with flooding, the Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
NEW LIBRARY BUILDING
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FIG. 7.-Plan of third floor.
library required that there be no plumbing over areas where books and catalogs were located, and consequently all plumbing is grouped in a stack tower on the north side of the building, with one or two sinks located in staff areas in other parts of the building. The building is designed for vertical expansion to a maximum of seven floors above grade. As a result, each floor has completely independent heating and ventilating systems. The lobby (Fig. 8) is floored with rose-colored granite, and the card catalogs and consulting tables have been specially designed to incorporate this material on their top surfaces. The circulation and copy service desks are also faced with granite. For security reasons, only the south stairwell and the two passenger elevators are available for normal traffic flow. The other stairs are reserved for emergency use and lead only to the exterior of the building, where they terminate in an enclosed (fenced) area. The library is equipped with a smoke and heat detection system, a door alarm system for all doors leading to the outside, and a public address system. A dedicated phone line is used for receiving page requests, and there are red telephones on each floor for answering calls. Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
Specially designed exhibit cases, six feet in height and sixteen feet wide, are built into the lobby walls on the second and third floors. Three flatbed exhibit cases are found in the lobby and on the third floor. Graphics were considered very carefully, and signs are of matte-finish brown plastic letters applied directly to the walls. Lettering is in the type style called Helvetica. Offices are set off from public areas by floor-toceiling glass partitions, which enhance the open feeling of the building. Staff areas are all arranged on the open plan, using furniture to divide rooms by function and to provide individual bases for staff members. One of the program requirements called for the building to be designed in such a way that the multimedia services department could be operated on a twenty-four-hour schedule if necessary. As a result, the upper floors of the building can be closed down, elevators shut off, and stairwells locked so that there is only one entry point to the lower level. This enables the library to staff the department on an extended schedule with a minimum of two persons. When the entire building is operating, a minimum staff of five is required. Provision has been made for closed-circuit tele407
THEALL AND PIZER
FIG. 8.-View of lobby from elevators.
vision programs to be piped into conference rooms main floor, which is manned during all of the hours and seminar rooms from a control center in the when the entire building is in operation. multimedia services department, and also to allow To provide adequate shelving for oversize switching to permit control of programs from the volumes in the stacks and in special collections, medical center's Office of Educational Resources sections of newspaper shelving with inverted television studios. Plaster walls in the building bracket supports are used. have been specifically painted white in order to At the main entrance to the library there is a provide screen surfaces for group media viewing full circulating-style electronic book theft detecwherever necessary. tion system, which alerts the nearby circulation Reference service is enhanced by two special staff to improperly charged material. The system telephone features. There are telephone jacks and also provides a count of those persons exiting push-button controls for all telephone lines to the through the control gate. department built into each card catalog island. To assist with the design and layout of the shipThis allows staff to answer queries at the catalog, ping and receiving area, the library requested that using an operator-style headset, and avoids the a commercial firm provide layout and specify necessity of taking catalog trays away from the necessary items of equipment. area to get to the phone. Because of staff limitations, unmanned reference desks on the other floors of the building are provided with yellow THE VIEW AFTER Two YEARS OF OCCUPANCY telephones that are connected directly to the The building is, in general, extremely successful reference department. By lifting the receiver, the both in terms of library function and in user acuser automatically calls the reference desk on the ceptance and satisfaction. There are, of course, 408
Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
NEW LIBRARY BUILDING
some problems, but the discussion of them that follows should be kept in perspective. The only major difficulty that has been encountered is that of sound transfer. Because of the open plan of the library, it is possible to hear relatively small amounts of noise at great distances, even though the ceiling contains soundproofing material above the aluminum slats of which it is composed. A projected attempt to resolve this problem with partitioning around the elevator lobby on the second floor was found to be prohibitively expensive because of necessary relocation of heating and ventilation ducts and light fixtures. A compromise of partial walls, one foot off the floor and two feet from the ceiling, was felt to be of little use in preventing sound transfer, and the matter has had to be left as is. Annoying elevator chimes have been disconnected, and signs to remind users not to talk have helped to alleviate the problem. In staff areas, particularly the technical services department, a large room shared by both acquisitions and cataloging departments, the problem remains unresolved. In attempting to effect minor remodeling involving additional electrical and telephone outlets, we have learned that wall-to-wall carpeting over a poured-concrete floor creates a combination of factors that costs too much to change. To pick up the carpet and to bring in wet drills to core the floor in order to reach the electrical and telephone channels is a major project in terms both of cost and of upheaval of activity. A continuing and annoying problem with carpet seams seems incapable of solution by either the manufacturer or the carpet installer. Unsightly raveling continues, as the carpet is prone to snag and ravel where pulled. A caveat to others: we thought all carpeting was woven with a lockstitch to prevent this problem, but apparently that is not so.
The university had decreed that draperies were not necessary because of the tinted and heatabsorbing glass used in the building (except in administrative offices, where they could be used for decor). The building, which faces south, receives a great deal of sun, and drapes have had to be added to all office areas on the south and east sides of the building to enable the staff to work on a sunny day. Self-service lockers were initially called for and, after a major tussle with the architects, who wished to place them in the main lobby, they were relegated to a relatively unobtrusive area on the lower level. They are a cause of minor annoyance Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
due to lost keys and to library materials secreted by competitive students. The library is thus forced to check them on a routine basis to remove such items. Ill-will on the part of the users is created when coins are not returned and when no lockers are available because some students retain the keys on a semipermanent basis. It is now apparent that we were unable to provide a sufficient number of small conference rooms for study purposes. There is no question that students prefer some degree of isolation in using the library, which is not satisfied by study carrels in an open-plan area. Projections for the additional floors for the building include a floor that will be largely devoted to study carrels and seminar rooms, and perhaps a large auditorium. An unusual problem has been encountered with the carrel and study table chairs, made of polished chrome-plated steel tubing with upholstered seats and backs. We have been dismayed to find that they are unable to withstand the stress of students' tipping back on the rear legs. The legs bend inward and eventually the chair becomes unstable. This problem became evident shortly after occupancy of the building, and for two years the university has been negotiating with the architects and the manufacturer to try to reach a satisfactory conclusion to the issue. At the present time, the manufacturer is again examining the problem to determine what can be done.* The library waged an unsuccessful battle to obtain a built-in wall-clock system for the building, which would have provided a central mechanism for adjusting clocks as well as the neatness and security of a built-in wall unit. The university vetoed the need for such a system in a "noninstructional" building. Consequently, the wall clocks that were placed in the public areas have been stolen, and the regulation of electric and battery-operated clocks is time-consuming and bothersome. Difficulties were encountered in making the architect and the manufacturer of the wooden cases for the rare books in the special collections department (Fig. 9) understand the requirements of the library. It was thought to be clearly stated that the cases were to have doors that fastened to a center, fixed shelf. It was a surprise to discover that the cases had been constructed with four doors rather than two, and that, although they did fasten to a center, fixed shelf, they could be un*Since this article was written, the manufacturer has decided that the problem can be remedied only at the library's cost, and disclaims any responsibility.
409
THEALL AND PIZER
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FIG. 9.-Special collections reading room, showing rare-book cases and accent spotlighting.
locked by slipping a finger in through the metal grillwork. This detail was, regrettably, not noticed on the detailed architectural plans submitted to the library for approval. Since this is a controlled area, the security problem inherent in the design flaw has not been a concern. The library was unable to prevent the architect from creating a custom-designed circulation desk interior. The resulting cabinet work is attractive, but alas, not as functional as was hoped, in terms of either use or comfort, and the cost of rebuilding the desk will be considerable, if it is undertaken at all. After the program document for the building was created, there were several major changes in the library's activities. The most significant of these related to multimedia, and although almost one-fourth of the building is devoted to this function, inexperience with media resulted in a department that is now overcrowded in the staff areas, and in which there is insufficient space for hardware storage. The other staff area that has turned out to be too small, because of the 410
burgeoning program of the library as a regional resource library for the Midwest Health Science Library Network, is that of interlibrary loan and information services. Multimedia services and information services have been the two departments that have grown more rapidly than was envisaged, and there is little that can be done to resolve the space problems for these departments until the building is expanded. A continuing and somewhat inexplicable problem is that of student vandalism. We have discovered that the urge to leave one's mark takes its toll of walls, elevators, desk tops, and even upholstered furniture (thanks to felt-tip pens). In addition to stolen clocks, we have found potted plants missing, signs pried off walls, and personal possessions appropriated. We have discovered that our card catalog suffers from those persons who decline to write call numbers on a slip of paper when going to the shelves, but prefer either to tear the card out of the catalog, or to tear off the left-hand corner of the card, which contains the call number. Ball-point pens, which are supBull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
NEW LIBRARY BUILDING
plied at the card catalog for notetaking, are either removed bodily or unscrewed and the refill removed, or even stranger, the control spring is taken, leaving the rest of the pen useless. The library has gained wide acceptance on campus from users, and it provides a pleasant and
attractive place in which to work. Problems have been largely minor, and some of the previous comments are the result of excellent hindsight. The visitor is most impressed by the brightness and colorfulness of the building, as well as by the feeling of spaciousness, openness, and comfort.
ARCHITECTURAL SUMMARY 130,000 square feet Gross 88,000 square feet Net $5,140,500 Cost: Total project $ 858,500 Equipment $973,806 (included in total project cost) Federal grant: $32.72 Cost per square foot: 350,000 Volume capacity: 1,037 Seating: Holabird and Root, Chicago, Illinois Architect: Turner Construction, Chicago, Illinois Construction manager: Major equipment suppliers: Jens Risom Design Card catalogs: Lees Carpets Carpeting: Jens Risom Design (Multigon Series) Carrels: Herman Miller, Inc. Chairs: Stendig, Inc. Loungefurniture: All-Steel Officefurniture: Andrew Wilson and Co. Steel stacks: Jens Risom Design Tables: 3M Tattletape Theft detection system: Addressograph-Multigraph Printing equipment: IBM Typewriters: Pitney-Bowes Shipping and receiving room:
Area:
Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
411
IRWIN H. PIZER, University Librarian and Professor ofLibrary Administration
University of Illinois at the Medical Center Chicago, Illinois ABSTRACT
but that was later abandoned because of changing priorities). The new Library of the Health Sciences at the These efforts continued through the 1960s, and University of Illinois at the Medical Center is described and illustrated. The building was under construction for at the end of the decade the outlook for success thirteen months, using phased construction techniques, had brightened. When Miss Troxel retired in and opened in October 1973. The library is a self- December 1970, a federal grant of almost two contained and physically independent building consisting than half of of three levels above ground and one lower level, million dollars was being sought (less comprising an area of 130,000 sq. ft. gross and 88,000 sq. that amount was finally awarded on the second apft. net. The building provides space for 350,000 volumes, plication), the architects had been retained, and 1,037 readers, and a staff of 100. The cost of construc- the project was about to move to the schematic tion was $5,140,500 plus $858,500 for furnishings and drawing phase.* The new librarian began working equipment. Among the special features are a twentyfour-hour multimedia services department and a full-cir- with the architects at the stage of creation of the culating style book detection system. Included in the initial schematics in September, 1970. article is an evaluation of the library after two years of The site available was L-shaped and required occupancy. the demolition of an older building. In mid-1971 the decision was made not to demolish that structure, and although the library plans had by then to move to architectural drawings, a been THE Library of the Health Sciences of the total about was undertaken. The architects revision University of Illinois at the Medical Center, performed a cost-effectiveness that postuChicago, replaced the former library facilities that lated higher structures with lessstudy square footage had been built in the early 1920s and that opened lower structures that covered the per floor; wider, in 1925. Added onto over the years by expansion into contiguous areas of a building designed for entire site; and all intermediate variations. The teaching and research in the basic sciences, the li- result of the change was a rectangular building of brary by the 1950s was plagued with insufficient four levels. However, since the program and funcspace for collections (necessitating storage and tional relationships of the library departments outside housing of the collection), inadequate staff were already fairly well set, the net effect of the work areas, virtually nonexistent user seating, change was to move a bay of the building, which increasing problems caused by flooding due to had filled the projection of the L-shape, to the opfailure of aging laboratory plumbing, dismal light- posite side of the building. This resulted in much ing, and all other associated problems one cares to larger staff work areas than originally planned for the circulation services, serials, and special collecimagine. A program document was developed by Miss tions departments, a change that proved an unWilma Troxel, the librarian, and her staff, and mitigated blessing. The university had decided to use the library as repeated attempts were made by the university to obtain a new building (including one effort that *This project was supported in part by U.S. Public went so far as a groundbreaking ceremony Health Service Grant No. PHS 1 CO5-PEconducted by the then governor, Adlai Stevenson, 04345-01 from the National Institutes of Health. 402
Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
NEW LIBRARY BUILDING
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FIG. 2.-View of multimedia services department, showing honeycomb carrel clusters, tables, and tubular steelframe chairs.
Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
403
THEALL AND PIZER
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FIG. 3.-Plan of lower level.
the experimental project for phased construction that can be used for group viewing of media, and a techniques, by which the building progresses in more casual area furnished with oversized twostages of construction as soon as the architectural level hassocks and carpet-covered benches. There plans are complete, rather than waiting for the are five group study rooms of varying sizes, which entire set of drawings to be finished before the seat from six to twelve occupants. Also on the start of bidding and construction. Under such a lower level is the staff lounge, the data processing program it was estimated that the building could area with an adjoining computer room, a records be constructed in some eleven months. Ground- storage office, and a public vending area equipped breaking was held in August 1972, and the library with cold and hot food and drink machines. moved into the building in October 1973. On the first floor (Fig. 4) are located most of the The library is a self-contained and physically in- major service departments of the library: informadependent building consisting of three levels above tion services, circulation services, mediated copy ground and one lower level, all levels being the service, extramural programs, cataloging, and acsame size (Fig. 1). The main entrance to the build- quisitions. The circulation and copy service desks ing is located on the first level and has a ramp to are located to the right of the entrance. Behind the accommodate the physically handicapped. Three circulation desk are a large office area, the exstairwells and two passenger elevators are avail- tramural programs office, shipping and receiving, able for traffic throughout the building. A loading and the service elevator. To the left of the endock is located at the rear of the first floor and is trance are the card catalogs, the reference desk, immediately accessible to the shipping and receiv- the reference collection, and government docuing room and a key-operated service elevator. ments, forming an L-shaped area with seating The lower level is almost entirely devoted to the scattered throughout. This area is flanked by five multimedia services department, which houses offices that house the information services staff. and controls all media hardware and software and Facing the entrance are two passenger elevators. the reserve books on closed shelves (Fig. 2-3). A The acquisitions and cataloging departments are large, open area of this level is used for reading together in one large room behind the elevators. and study purposes, seating almost 500 users. It is The printing room is adjacent to these departfurnished with rows and clusters of wet carrels, ments. table and chair units, electrified hexagonal tables With the exception of the administrative suite of
404
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FIG. 5.-Plan of second floor. Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
405
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FIG. 6.-Third floor lobby and lounge area.
offices, a conference room, and the serials department, the major part of the second floor (Fig. 5) is used for shelving bound journals. All reader seating is located at the periphery of the collection and is composed of a mixture of table and chair units, lounge chairs, clusters of wet and dry carrels, and five group study rooms. There is also a small seating oasis in the center of the floor. The unbound journals are shelved in a separate area facing the elevators and have their own reader seating. A serials reference desk is located between the two collections. Behind the elevators is a stack area for second copies of heavily used journals. The physical arrangement of the third level is similar to that of the second floor, with the stacks being devoted to the monographic collection and theses (Fig. 6-7). One quadrant of the stacks has just been removed to provide space for the pathology museum. There are two group study rooms on this floor, and the seating arrangements are the same as on the second floor. There is a large multipurpose room that can seat up to seventy persons auditorium-style, or can be divided into two smaller seminar rooms by a folding partition. There is a large lounge seating area outside this room. The special collections department comprises about one-quarter of this floor 406
with a large reading room, a workroom, and a closed stack area. Self-service copy machines are located on each floor of the building, there being a total of seven at the present time. The interiors of the building are colorful and bright. The building is carpeted throughout in a brick-colored twist carpet made of Herculon II, and the furniture is upholstered in four colors, tangerine, plum, cerise, and yellow. All of the metal stacking is white, custom matched to the walls, and all wooden furniture is light oak. Occasional tables are plastic cubes of a deep purple color. Carrels have end panels of the same colors as the furniture, although each major grouping of carrels is the same color. Interiors of carrels are an off-white color called putty, as are all desks and files. All office chairs, except accent pieces, are upholstered in a wheat-colored wool-like fabric. Of special architectural features, the most notable is the lower-level clerestory window along the front of the building. These windows create an open and airy feeling that completely dissipates the sense of being below ground. On the third floor, a light well provides visual interest to the ceiling of the lounge area. Because of prior experiences with flooding, the Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
NEW LIBRARY BUILDING
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FIG. 7.-Plan of third floor.
library required that there be no plumbing over areas where books and catalogs were located, and consequently all plumbing is grouped in a stack tower on the north side of the building, with one or two sinks located in staff areas in other parts of the building. The building is designed for vertical expansion to a maximum of seven floors above grade. As a result, each floor has completely independent heating and ventilating systems. The lobby (Fig. 8) is floored with rose-colored granite, and the card catalogs and consulting tables have been specially designed to incorporate this material on their top surfaces. The circulation and copy service desks are also faced with granite. For security reasons, only the south stairwell and the two passenger elevators are available for normal traffic flow. The other stairs are reserved for emergency use and lead only to the exterior of the building, where they terminate in an enclosed (fenced) area. The library is equipped with a smoke and heat detection system, a door alarm system for all doors leading to the outside, and a public address system. A dedicated phone line is used for receiving page requests, and there are red telephones on each floor for answering calls. Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
Specially designed exhibit cases, six feet in height and sixteen feet wide, are built into the lobby walls on the second and third floors. Three flatbed exhibit cases are found in the lobby and on the third floor. Graphics were considered very carefully, and signs are of matte-finish brown plastic letters applied directly to the walls. Lettering is in the type style called Helvetica. Offices are set off from public areas by floor-toceiling glass partitions, which enhance the open feeling of the building. Staff areas are all arranged on the open plan, using furniture to divide rooms by function and to provide individual bases for staff members. One of the program requirements called for the building to be designed in such a way that the multimedia services department could be operated on a twenty-four-hour schedule if necessary. As a result, the upper floors of the building can be closed down, elevators shut off, and stairwells locked so that there is only one entry point to the lower level. This enables the library to staff the department on an extended schedule with a minimum of two persons. When the entire building is operating, a minimum staff of five is required. Provision has been made for closed-circuit tele407
THEALL AND PIZER
FIG. 8.-View of lobby from elevators.
vision programs to be piped into conference rooms main floor, which is manned during all of the hours and seminar rooms from a control center in the when the entire building is in operation. multimedia services department, and also to allow To provide adequate shelving for oversize switching to permit control of programs from the volumes in the stacks and in special collections, medical center's Office of Educational Resources sections of newspaper shelving with inverted television studios. Plaster walls in the building bracket supports are used. have been specifically painted white in order to At the main entrance to the library there is a provide screen surfaces for group media viewing full circulating-style electronic book theft detecwherever necessary. tion system, which alerts the nearby circulation Reference service is enhanced by two special staff to improperly charged material. The system telephone features. There are telephone jacks and also provides a count of those persons exiting push-button controls for all telephone lines to the through the control gate. department built into each card catalog island. To assist with the design and layout of the shipThis allows staff to answer queries at the catalog, ping and receiving area, the library requested that using an operator-style headset, and avoids the a commercial firm provide layout and specify necessity of taking catalog trays away from the necessary items of equipment. area to get to the phone. Because of staff limitations, unmanned reference desks on the other floors of the building are provided with yellow THE VIEW AFTER Two YEARS OF OCCUPANCY telephones that are connected directly to the The building is, in general, extremely successful reference department. By lifting the receiver, the both in terms of library function and in user acuser automatically calls the reference desk on the ceptance and satisfaction. There are, of course, 408
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some problems, but the discussion of them that follows should be kept in perspective. The only major difficulty that has been encountered is that of sound transfer. Because of the open plan of the library, it is possible to hear relatively small amounts of noise at great distances, even though the ceiling contains soundproofing material above the aluminum slats of which it is composed. A projected attempt to resolve this problem with partitioning around the elevator lobby on the second floor was found to be prohibitively expensive because of necessary relocation of heating and ventilation ducts and light fixtures. A compromise of partial walls, one foot off the floor and two feet from the ceiling, was felt to be of little use in preventing sound transfer, and the matter has had to be left as is. Annoying elevator chimes have been disconnected, and signs to remind users not to talk have helped to alleviate the problem. In staff areas, particularly the technical services department, a large room shared by both acquisitions and cataloging departments, the problem remains unresolved. In attempting to effect minor remodeling involving additional electrical and telephone outlets, we have learned that wall-to-wall carpeting over a poured-concrete floor creates a combination of factors that costs too much to change. To pick up the carpet and to bring in wet drills to core the floor in order to reach the electrical and telephone channels is a major project in terms both of cost and of upheaval of activity. A continuing and annoying problem with carpet seams seems incapable of solution by either the manufacturer or the carpet installer. Unsightly raveling continues, as the carpet is prone to snag and ravel where pulled. A caveat to others: we thought all carpeting was woven with a lockstitch to prevent this problem, but apparently that is not so.
The university had decreed that draperies were not necessary because of the tinted and heatabsorbing glass used in the building (except in administrative offices, where they could be used for decor). The building, which faces south, receives a great deal of sun, and drapes have had to be added to all office areas on the south and east sides of the building to enable the staff to work on a sunny day. Self-service lockers were initially called for and, after a major tussle with the architects, who wished to place them in the main lobby, they were relegated to a relatively unobtrusive area on the lower level. They are a cause of minor annoyance Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
due to lost keys and to library materials secreted by competitive students. The library is thus forced to check them on a routine basis to remove such items. Ill-will on the part of the users is created when coins are not returned and when no lockers are available because some students retain the keys on a semipermanent basis. It is now apparent that we were unable to provide a sufficient number of small conference rooms for study purposes. There is no question that students prefer some degree of isolation in using the library, which is not satisfied by study carrels in an open-plan area. Projections for the additional floors for the building include a floor that will be largely devoted to study carrels and seminar rooms, and perhaps a large auditorium. An unusual problem has been encountered with the carrel and study table chairs, made of polished chrome-plated steel tubing with upholstered seats and backs. We have been dismayed to find that they are unable to withstand the stress of students' tipping back on the rear legs. The legs bend inward and eventually the chair becomes unstable. This problem became evident shortly after occupancy of the building, and for two years the university has been negotiating with the architects and the manufacturer to try to reach a satisfactory conclusion to the issue. At the present time, the manufacturer is again examining the problem to determine what can be done.* The library waged an unsuccessful battle to obtain a built-in wall-clock system for the building, which would have provided a central mechanism for adjusting clocks as well as the neatness and security of a built-in wall unit. The university vetoed the need for such a system in a "noninstructional" building. Consequently, the wall clocks that were placed in the public areas have been stolen, and the regulation of electric and battery-operated clocks is time-consuming and bothersome. Difficulties were encountered in making the architect and the manufacturer of the wooden cases for the rare books in the special collections department (Fig. 9) understand the requirements of the library. It was thought to be clearly stated that the cases were to have doors that fastened to a center, fixed shelf. It was a surprise to discover that the cases had been constructed with four doors rather than two, and that, although they did fasten to a center, fixed shelf, they could be un*Since this article was written, the manufacturer has decided that the problem can be remedied only at the library's cost, and disclaims any responsibility.
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IR;
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FIG. 9.-Special collections reading room, showing rare-book cases and accent spotlighting.
locked by slipping a finger in through the metal grillwork. This detail was, regrettably, not noticed on the detailed architectural plans submitted to the library for approval. Since this is a controlled area, the security problem inherent in the design flaw has not been a concern. The library was unable to prevent the architect from creating a custom-designed circulation desk interior. The resulting cabinet work is attractive, but alas, not as functional as was hoped, in terms of either use or comfort, and the cost of rebuilding the desk will be considerable, if it is undertaken at all. After the program document for the building was created, there were several major changes in the library's activities. The most significant of these related to multimedia, and although almost one-fourth of the building is devoted to this function, inexperience with media resulted in a department that is now overcrowded in the staff areas, and in which there is insufficient space for hardware storage. The other staff area that has turned out to be too small, because of the 410
burgeoning program of the library as a regional resource library for the Midwest Health Science Library Network, is that of interlibrary loan and information services. Multimedia services and information services have been the two departments that have grown more rapidly than was envisaged, and there is little that can be done to resolve the space problems for these departments until the building is expanded. A continuing and somewhat inexplicable problem is that of student vandalism. We have discovered that the urge to leave one's mark takes its toll of walls, elevators, desk tops, and even upholstered furniture (thanks to felt-tip pens). In addition to stolen clocks, we have found potted plants missing, signs pried off walls, and personal possessions appropriated. We have discovered that our card catalog suffers from those persons who decline to write call numbers on a slip of paper when going to the shelves, but prefer either to tear the card out of the catalog, or to tear off the left-hand corner of the card, which contains the call number. Ball-point pens, which are supBull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(4) Oct. 1976
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plied at the card catalog for notetaking, are either removed bodily or unscrewed and the refill removed, or even stranger, the control spring is taken, leaving the rest of the pen useless. The library has gained wide acceptance on campus from users, and it provides a pleasant and
attractive place in which to work. Problems have been largely minor, and some of the previous comments are the result of excellent hindsight. The visitor is most impressed by the brightness and colorfulness of the building, as well as by the feeling of spaciousness, openness, and comfort.
ARCHITECTURAL SUMMARY 130,000 square feet Gross 88,000 square feet Net $5,140,500 Cost: Total project $ 858,500 Equipment $973,806 (included in total project cost) Federal grant: $32.72 Cost per square foot: 350,000 Volume capacity: 1,037 Seating: Holabird and Root, Chicago, Illinois Architect: Turner Construction, Chicago, Illinois Construction manager: Major equipment suppliers: Jens Risom Design Card catalogs: Lees Carpets Carpeting: Jens Risom Design (Multigon Series) Carrels: Herman Miller, Inc. Chairs: Stendig, Inc. Loungefurniture: All-Steel Officefurniture: Andrew Wilson and Co. Steel stacks: Jens Risom Design Tables: 3M Tattletape Theft detection system: Addressograph-Multigraph Printing equipment: IBM Typewriters: Pitney-Bowes Shipping and receiving room:
Area:
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