Theme I:
ON BROOKLYN’S GREEN FIELDS:
The Move
In retrospect, it seems amazing that the move occurred in so smooth and timely a fashion. This is owing to the outstanding teamwork of Turner Construction (who saw to it that the temporary spaces were ready), American Interfile (who moved us), Project Manager Marla Appelbaum (who provided overall coordination and leadership), and the Library staff (who delivered service and kept the College community informed of our progress). Still, this was a bumpy and uncertain period, one that called for staff to draw upon their every inner resource.
· Technology Rears Its Ugly Head
“I think that in the next library move we have to be more careful about how the movers handle our computers. The movers may be great with books, shelves, and furniture, but not with sensitive equipment which should be handled appropriately. After the move to the Field Library, all 25 computers in the Library’s classroom had the same problem--broken hard drives which had to be replaced.” Alex Rudshteyn Assistant Director for Library Systems
Unfortunately, these 25 machines were only the beginning: other equipment also arrived broken or missing key elements. As Systems staff reassembled machines and plugged them in, many failed to work properly, or indeed to work at all (a hard drive is a terrible thing to lose). Some machines simply never made the trip. Systems staff generated an inventory of damaged and lost computers, but neither the mover nor the contractors accepted responsibility for breakage and loss. In the end, we simply chalked up the experience to “lessons learned,” used our own resources to repair and replace machines, and vowed to forge a tighter contract for the move back.
· The Glacial Move of the Circulating Collections
The move of the collections from the old building to the Library’s four temporary locations began in early June, 1999. As the stacks on the top floor of the Field Library were filled, they were also shrink-wrapped, protecting our materials from the dust and dirt of construction (the Field Library was far from complete), and from theft as well.
Despite a June start date, it was late October before all of the circulating books actually arrived in the Field Library. There were many reasons for the delay: the elevator in the Field Library (necessary to move books to their home on the second floor) broke repeatedly (and still does). Our 40-year-old shelving proved difficult to disassemble and reassemble. And, the mover generally underestimated the amount of time required to move 1.3 million bound items from one location to four. The net result: for two months, twice a day at scheduled times, staff were escorted into the old building (by then, a full-fledged construction site complete with hanging wires and other dangers) to retrieve items that had yet to be moved, while readers sat biding their time. Often it was difficult to locate materials, because books were already in transit, or shelving was in the process of being torn down, or construction debris created obstacles, or the lighting was too poor to read the call numbers.
