Top of the list
Building a new library at Utah State University is the top priority for the state capital building projects fund.
“This is absolutely something we must do,” Provost Stan Albrecht said. “We have a building that is unsafe, unsound and unsecure.” The Merrill Library is a fire hazard, according to a press release prepared by Albrecht and President Kermit L. Hall. It has been assessed by the Division of Facilities and Construction Management this summer. According to the press release, as a Carnegie Research-Extensive institution, USU needs to have a library which will support higher levels of learning and discovery.
“We have presented the library as one of our projects for eight years because we recognize that the depth of our library should match the depth of our educational aspirations,” according to the release.
The actual construction will not happen for several years and preparation is currently underway, Albrecht said.
The new library will eventually take the place of the Merrill Library. It will not stand in the same place, but will be built in a different, undisclosed area, Albrecht said.
A new technology building will be built where the Merrill is after it is torn down, Albrecht said.
It will be about the same foot-print size, but will use new technology to make things more accessible, Albrecht said .
“A library of the future is very different than the library of the past. We can do a lot more with the same foot-print,” Albrecht said. According to the release, the new library will meet the needs of the university in the following ways,
It will function as a whole unit. The Merrill Library has been divided and subdivided, which has cut down on accessibility and effectiveness.Security will be better with fewer entrances and exits.
A safer environment will be created for people and resources.
“The [old] building is a fire trap,” according to the release.
The following reasons for demolishing the library were also cited in the press release.
The large overhead water piping is a danger to archival material.
There will be an increased capacity for shelving in the new building by better utilizing space.
The new building will offer better disability access with more elevators and better restroom facilities.
Exiting will be improved. Because of the large number of exits in the current building, many of those exits are kept locked for security reasons, thus increasing the fire hazard.
The current building has structural/seismic deficiencies.
“The fear is that the rigid ‘outside’ frame would beat the fragile 1930’s frame to pieces,” according to the release.
Future needs can only be served with a new high-technology library that matches the university’s plan for continued growth.
The funding for this project will come primarily from the state, Albrecht said. This year the economy is tight, so there might not be enough money available yet, he said.
None of the university’s projects have been cut so far, Albrecht said. USU has already received funding from the state for the new heating plant and the Engineering Laboratory Building.
Remodeling the Merrill Library would cost as much as building the new library because the “shell is seriously flawed,” Albrecht said. The Merrill has been added to several times, so now it is a “building inside a building inside a building.”
As of yet, an archetect has not been selected or plans completely made for the library, Albrecht said. The next step is for the proposal to be approved by the state building board and then the state legislature can go and approve it, he said.