The Once & Future Library


  • The Book Sale Room


    • "Sales in the Book Sale room remained very good--it is a service that brings great pleasure to the many who find inexpensive treasures. " Miriam Deutch, Associate Librarian for Research & Access Services"
    The new Book Sale Room continues to be an enormous hit with faculty and students. It seems we can sell as many books as we can amass, and readers are crying for more. (Paperbacks sell for $.50, hardbacks for $1.00.) Located just behind the Circulation desk, the room's wares are sold by Circulation staff who also track the proceeds, used to purchase replacement copies of lost books. The books we sell are unwanted gifts and discards; they are now arranged by subject to invite easier browsing.

  • Library Etiquette 101


    • The new library has been incredibly popular with the College community, particularly the students. Despite the enormous increase in space, it is well-occupied virtually every hour it is open. In fact, some students spend so much time here that they begin to treat the facility as an extension of their home, a mind-set that can sometimes run counter to a hygienic, welcoming environment as people eat, talk on cell phones, and sleep, sometimes assembling several pieces of furniture to make a rather comfortable bed!

    This might not be so bad, except that fried chicken, pizza, Cokes, chocolate bars, coffee, and dirty shoes are anathemas to upholstery and carpets: furthermore, the next person to sit where the offender has sat will not thank him or her. And, since it's impossible for the custodial staff to empty the Library's several hundred waste baskets every day, the detritus of a student's lunch can provide a feast for hungry pests.

    Students are not shy about complaining about their cohorts' behavior, and Library staff receive daily complaints from readers about the conduct of other readers--people yakking on cell phones, eating smelly food, and, yes, sleeping. For example:
    "I pay tuition to get an education here, and to study in a nice environment-if I want to be surrounded by people covered up and sleeping, I'll go to the Port Authority bus terminal."

    Or:

    "I feel intimidated by these people who are sleeping-this is supposed to be a beautiful place to study, not like a smelly subway ride."
    On a busy day the Library can clock more than 5,000 readers. Students who are feeling the tensions of exams and impending term papers are not in the mood for distractions, and they are quick to complain about the people who create them. This includes people who commandeer multiple chairs in order to bed down--especially when others are looking for chairs to sit in. As Chief Librarian Barbra Higginbotham responded to a student newspaper editorial,
    "The Library's policies are thoughtfully crafted to create a place in which everyone feels comfortable studying and working. And yes, the staff do speak to readers who aren't following the policies and politely ask that they observe them."
    On some days, it seems that food, drinks, and cell phones are intractable; nonetheless, we soldier on. Jane Cramer has created an attractive and amusing poster we use throughout the building which reminds people of the Library's policies. Additionally, various areas of the building are assigned to different Library units, and staff make regular rounds, gently reminding offenders of the building's regs.

    Our allies are the Security staff, with special credit going to Officer Elson Bennett. She is vigilant, particularly at the front door, the best place to discourage eating in the building. In the spring semester we nominated Ms Bennett for Employee of the Month. Working with Ursula Chase of Security, Miriam Deutch has created and distributed staff guidelines for approaching persons who are disregarding Library policies.

  • Services for Students With Disabilities


    • http://library.brooklyn.cuny.edu/about_library/disab.htm

    In August James Kozak, the campus adaptive equipment specialist, trained Library staff in the use of the new adaptive equipment. A new guide to Library services for persons with disabilities was completed, placed on the Library Web site, and printed for distribution. In April the Library celebrated CUNY Disability Awareness Month "We're All In This Together" with an exhibit of books by authors with disabilities. The display included each writer's literary work as well as a description of his or her disability. As a tie-in, two excellent films My Left Foot and Children of a Lesser God were shown in the Woody Tanger Auditorium during the month of April. The campus Director of the Center for Students with Disabilities Roberta Adelman attended the April 23, 2004 Library Department meeting where we reviewed the Library's policies and procedures for ensuring excellent service for persons with disabilities.

  • The Use of the New Library Continues to Rise


    • "Faculty are grateful that the Library's expanded hours, since its reopening, remain sufficiently generous and in line with those of comparable institutions." Faculty Council's Committee on the Library, Annual Report 2003-2004
    Usage of the new building hit an all-time high on October 29, with more than 5,000 people using the Library. (Since that time, we have clocked 5,000+ readers on many days.) The Library faculty and staff are thrilled about this high level of use. A walk through the building shows that every space on every floor is well-used–reading rooms, carrels, computer areas, group study rooms (especially the group study rooms). When we hosted the METRO annual meeting on 30 October, many librarians who took a tour of the building commented enviously about the high degree of usage. (Our circulation has also soared, topping that of every other CUNY library: this indicates that once people come into the new building, they are consuming its services.)

  • The New Library Receives Visitors


    • Visitors from around the world continue to flock to the new building: on October 23 ten people from University College Cork visited us, along with architects from Shepley Bulfinch who are building a new library at UCC. Next we expect a delegation from Queens University Belfast, where SBRA are also at work.

    Praise for the new Library at Brooklyn College seems boundless: not only was the building praised by the members of the Cork delegation (who considered it far lovelier than either of Shepley's other local projects, the libraries at Fordham and Columbia), but past-president of the American Library Association Maurice Freedman, director of the Westchester County Public Library Systems, told us that in all his travels last year as ALA president he had seen no library that compared with Brooklyn's.

  • Commemorating the New Library


    • Planning was well underway for a booklet to commemorate the new Library when, in October 2003, Publications became inundated by work on other projects, including the College's annual report. Now, as we look toward July 2004, work on this important piece is about to begin again.

  • The New Library as Star of Stage & Screen


    • The new Library's fame has spread and the building has proven a popular location for film shoots. In August 2003 Dharma Productions (a Mumbai film company) filmed for Kal Ho Naa Ho on the lower quadrangle and in the Library's Woody Tanger Auditorium. On August 20 and 21 an independent company also filmed for its 2004 release The Orphan King, described as "a drama that follows a group of friends growing up in New York City, the first generation of latchkey kids trying to escape the life of decadence in 1980s Manhattan." The Library has also proven to be a magnet for student productions–no fewer than twenty were filmed in the new building during 2003-2004. (Students are permitted to film in areas where there work will not disturb other readers and after they have agreed to abide by all Library rules.)

    We learned that life in the world of film is not all glamour: unfortunately the building suffered some damage when the Dharma crew suspended equipment from the Woody Tanger Auditorium's ceiling, pulling down bits of it. The large cast and crew also created quite a din, and the last straw came when the star declared she was cold and would not work unless the air-conditioning were shut down. (It was August, however, and this was simply not possible.) Miriam Deutch and Howard Spivak subsequently met with Joe Benedict and Joe Fodor to go over procedures for the future use of the Library as a film location.

  • The New Library Celebrates Its 1st Birthday


    • On September 4, we celebrated the new Library's first birthday with a grand party for the entire staff. A guitar and violin duo provided music, and the food and wine (for those over 21!) flowed: it seemed important to reflect on and acknowledge the staff's achievements in an exciting yet bumpy Year One.

  • Renting Space to Non-Afflilates


    • In the fall of 2003 a request for space from an organization with no College connection caused us to develop a space rental policy for the new Library. (Previously, the requesting group had rented space in the student union building, where there are steep charges for room use, security, maintenance, and housekeeping. In contrast, the new Library seemed to represent gorgeous, technology-rich space at no cost.)

    The Library now has a pricing policy and structure that includes the Woody Tanger Auditorium, multimedia classrooms, multipurpose room, large and small group viewing rooms, and the group study rooms. Staff must be present whenever a technologically rich environment is used, whether the technologies in the space are used or not. Other staff may be required to operate technologies, monitor the use of space when the Library is closed, and so forth. For Brooklyn College events, we make no charge except when staff must be brought in specifically for the event (evenings; weekends; whenever the Library is closed to the public).

  • Information Technology Services Moves Into the New Building


    • On Friday September 12 we welcomed ITS to the new building with a coffee hour.



  • The New Library: A Work in Progress


    • The new building is not yet 100% complete, although it is nearer that goal than last year. During the 2003-2004 academic year lists of building issues were compiled and recompiled; Miriam Deutch, Howard Spivak, Barbra Higginbotham, and architect Charles Ayes from the College's Office of Facilities Planning and Operations met numerous time about a range of issues, chief among these climate control and security. On April 27 they were joined by CUNY Project Manager Jonathan Sinagub.

    While we are unsure about the extent to which the building's many climate control problems can be addressed (the issues range from zoning--one area is hot, another cold–to the noise generated by some of the HVAC equipment) some issues have been addressed. These include:

    Replacing red and white vinyl evacuation signs with signs designed and manufactured by Terry Colbert who did the sign program for the new Library
    Repairing the building marquee, which leaked
    Repairing the front door lock
    Replacing torn fabric on the multipurpose room's room divider
    Stabilizing the fire alarm system
    Whenever the fire alarms go off (during fire drills; while testing the system) several things happen automatically:
  • Water fills the sprinkler lines in Special Collections.

  • All air-handlers in the building shut down.

  • All elevators shut down.
    • Once the alarm stops, Security performs an activity that causes the water to drain from the pipes, opens the air-handlers, and puts the elevators back in service. But for the entire first year of the Library's life and well into 2003-2004 often one or more of these things did not happen.
  • Some but not all air-handlers reopened.

  • Elevators did not restart.

  • The water remained in the pipes, sometimes bursting forth and doing damage.
    • In the fall 2003 the College engaged Aldona (an independent company) to analyze the entire system; as of mid-December things seemed to be working properly.

    From mid-January 2004 forward, fire wardens and occupants of the Library have been able to evacuate the building via all fire exits, rather than using only the front entrance; this represents a great safety improvement. On December 18, Miriam Deutch arranged with Security for fire marshall training for all Library fire marshals. Two helpful and informative sessions were offered to staff by trainers from the New York City Fire Department.
    Other matters still require attention:

    The HVAC system
  • Zoning/balancing

    • One area is horribly cold (Special Collections, Information Services); another is too hot (WTA, workshop center, lily pond reading room). Work is ongoing by KSI, Tech, Turner, and DASNY. All 600 sensors in the building are being examined: are they communicating? In the meantime, the College has accepted the system so that we can get warranty coverage, but the contractors have not been paid all they are claiming.
  • Noise from the HVAC system is extremely loud, particularly in the beautiful LaGuardia Reading Room with its WPA murals.


    • Storm drain problem, lower level
    In heavy rain, these drains back up and flood the lower level. Some of the drains consist of existing pipes: they were not replaced. This could be at the root of the problem. The possibility of putting a camera in the pipes is being explored. Turner Construction has identified additional steps they can take to correct the problem, but as yet no action has been taken. We have requested water sensors, which can be attached to existing data ports.

    Lighting
  • Replacement bulbs are needed throughout the building, and we need a program for replacing bulbs; staff training will come after all burnt-out bulbs are replaced

  • Brighter bulbs are needed in some areas–it's much too dark for staff to function on a cloudy day or after dark

  • A program for turning the building's lights on and off is needed

  • Groups of lights go off, stay off for hours or days, then mysteriously come back on

  • Some motion detectors are improperly calibrated in restrooms


    • Attic stock
    Carpet tile and ceramic tile attic stock are here, but there is still no attic stock for lighting. Three tractor-trailer loads of bulbs are ready for delivery–bulbs of all types.

    Sprinkler heads
    Many of the sprinkler head caps do not fit flush with the ceiling.

    Elevators
    They break often. When only one is in service, too many people crowd onto it, increasing the likelihood that it too will go out.

    Peeling ceilings
  • Conference room, suite 412

  • Multipurpose room

    • There is clearly a source of water/damp above these contiguous fourth floor spaces. It has been suggested that there is a leak in the tower.

    Signage
    Signage has been received but not all has been installed.

    Furniture issues
  • Several Dakota-Jackson chairs (desk/carrel chairs) have broken legs; on others, the laminate is splitting/separating.

  • Some of the small, round occasional tables are so broken as to be unusable.


    • Restrooms
  • There are ventilation problems in some restrooms, including those near reserves

  • Toilet lights lack diffuser louvers (see Ayes memo 04/21/03 to Leung, item 9)

  • Either (a) the toilet stall partitions throughout the building are very, very dirty, or (b) they were delivered and installed damaged and require replacement. The vendor's present position is that they are dirty and that cleaning will solve the problem; they recommend Carawax.


    • Carpet tiles
    These are coming up in several areas in the building. They will be replaced as part of the next carpet tile job done on campus. (For some reason, College staff do not install carpet tiles.)

    Multipurpose Room
  • Replace 2 projection screens


    • Conference Room, 4th floor
  • Repair table scratches

  • Replace projector


    • Teleconferencing equipment, WTA (1st floor) and Multipurpose Room
  • There are missing elements


    • Information Services office space, 1st floor
    On December 3, 2003 a design team from Herman Miller, the manufacturer of the office system used, reviewed the present configuration with an eye to addressing the complaints of the staff about excessive noise and over-crowdedness. They surveyed the individual consultation room (143) across the hall as a location for redistributing three work stations from the IS Office.

    Through Charles Ayes' (Facilities) office, Herman Miller returned three different redesigns. Each redistributed the cubicles in a slightly different way. The designs were presented to the Information Services staff in January, with Charles Ayes identifying the advantages and disadvantages of each. The staff were unanimous in choosing design #3, with seven cubicles in the present office area and another three relocated to the present consultation room space.

    While Herman Miller was working on costing out the project, the Library management team decided to ask the company to investigate the alternative use of Research Services' space for the expansion of Information Spaces. Drawings for the use of that space are presently in the works.

    Map, foyer, 1st floor
  • Design and install a cover

  • Install lighting


    • Water detectors, cameras for pipes, lower level
  • Install water detectors to alert us to water/sewerage back-up problems


    • Toilet Locks
  • Install on staff men's rooms

  • Reinstall in correct location on staff women's rooms


    • Exhibit Cases, 1st floor
  • Install lighting


    • Locks, Staff men's and women's rooms, all floors
  • Men's rooms: install

  • Women's rooms: reinstall in correct locations


    • Security issues, various floors
  • Because the 4th floor of the Library has no service point and no staff (except the management team's offices), for security reasons the new building was planned so that this floor could be closed to the public at 6:00 PM each day and on weekends. (The 4th floor is the smallest by far of the Library's five floors: ITS occupies the new wing on 4 and much of the rest of the floor is roof space.) Unfortunately, several mistakes were made in spec-ing the hardware on 4th floor doors.


    • The hardware was reversed on the double doors that lead from the grand stair and elevator bank into the Library's part of the 4th floor, with the result that locking the doors locks staff in, rather than locking the public out. This renders the hardware useless: the public can freely enter the 4th floor anytime the building is open.

    There are 3 fire doors on the 4th floor, none of which was equipped with the proper panic-bar-type hardware. As a result, people coming from any floor in the building can freely access the 4th floor using these doors.

    We have had several meetings with Security about these problems, and both Library and Security staff believe that code allows for all of these mistakes to be corrected--it's just a matter of money. Turner has told Charlie that they have no responsibility for correcting these problems. On February 11 Chief Librarian Barbra Higginbotham wrote asking Vice-President Steve Little for his guidance:

    "After 6:00 PM and on weekends Security clears and locks the 3 group study rooms and the library science reading room. (The multipurpose room is kept locked when it is not in use, owing to the valuable and delicate equipment it contains, and staff offices are locked when staff leave for the day. The staff lounge is also kept locked.) There's nothing else on the Library's part of the floor except for 4 reading tables and 4 restrooms, which cannot be locked.

    "Do you feel that this level of security is sufficient, or do you feel it would be safer to correct the hardware mistakes on 4 so that the floor can be secured when no staff are present? If you feel that the present level of security is adequate, there is a strong sense that more security cameras should be installed: this area is remote and lonely when there are no staff present. Many thanks for your thoughts on this issue. We will appreciate your guidance."
  • Requests were made to Security to key the Woody Tanger Auditorium and the Multipurpose Room; cylinders have been ordered.

  • The Library Administration has recommended a change to magnetic key locks for the Woody Tanger Auditorium and Special Collections.


    • Flood damage/recovery
  • $ 9,708 is owed the Library for the flood of 8/30/02 (documentation submitted September 17, 2002)

  • Similarly, $13,025 is due for flood of 12/04/02 in Special Collections (documented January 6, 2003)


    • Not all water damage occurs because of gushers: on April 22 shelvers discovered a mold outbreak in the compact shelving on the Library's lower level in the QLs of the pre-1980 bound journals. The culprit was a steady drip from a faulty sprinkler head–when one combines moisture, close spaces, and temperatures that are warmer than they should be, the climate is ripe for mold to flourish. Thanks to the intervention of the College's environmental safety officer Aldo Orlando (about whom we cannot say enough good things) we quickly learned that the mold was non-toxic, simple refrigerator-like aspergillus. Nonetheless, we had to discard about twenty volumes of various science periodicals, damaged beyond repair. Unfortunately, these older journals are not available electronically, making the loss a permanent one.

    Vandalism
    On the Friday before Dershowitz Day (September 23, 2003) we discovered vandalism in the Woody Tanger Auditorium. The podium had been defaced, the room's sound system disabled, and a new smartboard scratched, as if with a car key. Thanks to Miriam Deutch's quick thinking, we were able to replace missing letters on the podium in time for the big day. However, try as they might, staff could not reactivate the sound system, and a visit from the system's vendor was required.

    That same Friday, we also found that the multipurpose room had been damaged–fabric covering a panel in the room was slashed and the room's two key-operated projection screens were literally shredded. It seems certain that these acts were committed by contractors working in the building, who were angry about the manner in which certain contract disputes were being resolved by the construction management firm. All of this resulted in drafting and implementing an even stricter security policy for the WTA and other technology-rich spaces in the new Library building. The fabric in the multipurpose room has been replaced and new screens have been ordered.

  • Named Spaces in the New Library


    • A donor signage directory was created by Associate Librarian for Research and Access Services Miriam Deutch and distributed to all staff we want to be certain that anytime College officials, donors, and friends or family of benefactors enter the building they can easily locate special named spaces, and that staff can assist in this process. New named spaces in 2003-2004 include the Rhoda Channing New Media Center desk.



    Donor Signage Index
    Heidi L. Blau 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Mozelle Myra Wilson Buckner 1st Floor
    Zeak Monroe Buckner 1st Floor
    Jonathan Chanis 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Rhoda K. Channing 1st Floor Main Entrance & New Media Desk
    Class of 1951 2nd Floor, & First Floor Main Entrance
    Class of 1952 1st Floor
    Joan Minnette Dorfman 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Minnette G. Dorfman 2nd Floor
    Everett Family 2nd Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Jack Fitch 2nd Floor
    Barbara L. Gerber LL & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Walter W. Gerboth 2nd Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Harry P. Gideonese 1st Floor
    Howard Golden 1st Floor
    Hal Ford Higginbotham 1st Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Barbra Buckner Higginbotham 1st Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Herman Jervis 2nd Floor
    Steven Jervis 2nd Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Margaret L. King First Floor Main Entrance
    Laura W. Kitch First Floor Main Entrance
    Fiorello H. La Guardia 1st Floor
    LA/SC Alumni Chapter First Floor Main Entrance
    Jay K. Lucker First Floor Main Entrance
    Majorie Stern Lucker 1st Floor
    Peter N. Marron 1st Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Sarah Marron 1st Floor
    George E. Pataki 1st Floor
    Dennis Sprininger LL
    Alexandra M. Tanger LL & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Woody Tanger 1st Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Morton Topfer 1st Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Angela Topfer 1st Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Susan Vaughn 1st Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Jacqueline de Weever First Floor Main Entrance
    Howard Wohl 2nd Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance
    Diane Wohl 2nd Floor & 1st Floor Main Entrance


  • Art Acquisitions for the New Library


    • The Art Acquisition Committee has developed an exceptional collection of contemporary and traditional art for the new Library, works by both internationally recognized and emerging artists. This year the committee selected six works of art for the Library's primary spaces and installed all of the works except for a commission by Chakaia Booker. Ms Booker fabricates sculptures which are made primarily from rubber tires. She works on both modest and monumental scales, addressing African-American identity, specifically the black body and its adornment, through her pieces. There is also an ecological premise to Ms Booker's works because tires are difficult to dispose of, the artist's sculptures speak to the persistent problems of industrial waste. The Library has commissioned a sculptural wall relief approximately 48 x 84 inches, slated to be installed in late June, 2004 on the first floor around the corner from Special Collections.



    This year the focus of the committee was to select art for secondary spaces in the new building. The committee reviewed the Library's print collection, selected suitable works, and had them framed. Among the prints discovered in the Library's collection were works by Edward Ruscha and Robert Motherwell.

    Edward Ruscha's series News, Mews, Pews, Brews, Stews, Dues, 1970 was particularly appropriate for the Library. Ruscha recalls that when he was first attracted to the idea of being an artist, he felt that painting was an "...almost obsolete, archaic form of communication ... I felt newspapers, magazines, books and words to be more meaningful ..." Blackcurrant pie filling, tomato paste, and chocolate syrup are among the organic products the artist used to make these screen prints. Because of the unstable media, the colors have changed over time. The six gothic script words represent a sampler of the artist's impressions of England--its cuisine, beer, cathedrals, etc.

    The powerful abstract silkscreen prints from Robert Motherwell's Africa Suite create a majestic feeling in the Multipurpose room. Professor Susan Vaughn remarked, "It is almost as though the Motherwell prints were commissioned for that space."

    The committee also selected these works for framing, cleaning and (in some cases) restoration:
    Brooklyn Dodgers sketch, including autographs of the Brooklyn Dodger's 1949 team
    President Bill Clinton and former Brooklyn College President Vernon Lattin, 1994, photograph
    Borough Hall, Brooklyn, sketch and photograph, c. 1920s
    J. Redding Kelly, Dean Mario Cosenza, oil on canvas, 1934
    Kings County Seal, c. 1915
    R. Adams, The Wallabout Market, watercolor, c. 1930's

    In the spring 2004 Brooklyn College alumnus Dr. Seymour Meyer, noted hand surgeon and artist, donated one of his beautiful bronze sculptures. The Torch, 1971, is beautifully positioned in the Library foyer where it symbolizes to all who enter the Library's role as the flame of knowledge. In the interest of preservation and security, two beautiful portraits of Walt Whitman purchased for the opening of Whitman Hall in 1955 were transferred to Special Collections. The Charles Hine portrait is of the younger Whitman (age 41, 1860); Hine was a friend of the poet. Painted five years after Whitman published his Leaves of Grass, it is one of about eight done in oil and said to be the only one from an early period in the poet's life. The other portrait (G.W. Waters) was completed in 1877.


    Conservator Slava Polishchuk assisted in the placing, installing, and labeling all Library art.