More Progress in the New Lounge

The tile flooring is installed in the northwest corner of the old library reading room. There will be a row of black tile to finish off the edge of the tiled area. The vending machines will be to the left where the wires are now hanging. The refrigerator will be on the right where the access opening is. There is an island counter with slide-out sections for the waste baskets, just like the unit in the old lounge. Dark hickory was selected for the cabinets to contrast with the original pine paneling of the walls. To the far left you can see the old library workroom. We need to get that sign down! A V and Periodicals are no longer here!

The landing outside the Conference Room is close to completion. The new carpet is down and ready for the installation of the wheelchair lift. In this view down toward the hallway, the lift will go on the left side where the bucket is. The stairs are to the right.

When you exit the Conference Room into the landing, you see these three doors. From left to right, they are the offices of Brent Graber, IT Director, John Rempel, theology professor, and Erland Waltner, president emeritus.

Why is the middle doorway higher that the other two? It is the only original doorway! The other two doorways are in new walls, walls that didn't exist before the construction project. The other two offices only had partitions, not full walls. Brent's office is about two feet wider that it was before since the new wall is not in exactly the same place as the partition was. The rectangular opening in the stairwell (middle picture) provides access to the backs for the computers in Brent's office.

Next week, I hope to post photos of the lift and the completed kitchen area of the lounge.

Cherry Tables in the New Library

The photos in the previous post show the beautiful cherry paneling at the entrance to the library and the bookstore. Don Steider, AMBS Maintenance Director, made all the paneling and cherry trim in the library. He continues to use his woodworking skills to beautify the library. Just inside the entrance to the new building, each conversation group in the gallery has a coffee table with a solid cherry top made by Don.

Within the library and just across from the service desk, there is a seating area by a large east facing window. The clear-coated natural cherry has beautiful wood grain and is also sturdy enough to serve as an ottoman. It's nice to be able to prop your feet up when settling in to read in these comfy chairs.

In the north reading area, Don provided smaller tables to go with the lounge chairs. These seats are very popular among student seeking a quiet and comfortable place for serious reading.

The black metal bases were ordered online from Crate and Barrel. While a variety of tops are available from the manufacturer, we are pleased to have the tables finished right here in the AMBS woodshop. Thank you Don, Steider!

Enhancements in the New Library

We continue to make small steps to improve the new library. Last week the letters arrived to identify the library and bookstore. They were mounted by Nathan Ramer, Goshen College intern working with Mary Klassen, Director of Communications.

The individual letters are cut from hard plastic foam. I think they look stunning on the cherry panels with the black "reveals" and the textured black floor tiles.

Yes, we do provide a wastebasket and recycling container.

The Old Library Becomes the New Lounge

The professionals from DJ Construction and their subcontractors have been busy turning the old library into the new lounge. So, I take up my camera again and bring you some images of the work in progress.

This is the view down the hall in the old library. The photocopier used to be in the foreground of this shot. You can see the new carpet squares have been laid and are covered with plastic for protection. Carpet has been laid in the three small offices and today they were putting it on the steps going down to the lower level.

There are new fluorescent lights in the ceiling. It's bright! The wall to the right now has a door entering the office where the lift had been that took books downstairs. You can just barely see the handrail of the stairs to the right. The double door that used to go into the workroom by Lois' desk is gone. There is only a solid wall to the double doors.

The circulation window is still there but the counter is gone. The workroom has a wall down the middle to separate the back two offices from the front office. This is the wall that only had studs in the first picture of my last post. The administrative assistant (Eric Saner) and the volunteer coordinator (Sharon Baker) will be in this front office. In the far right of this picture, you can see the new entrance into this office.

The doorway that had gone from the library workroom out to the reading room has now been blocked off. Through the window to the right you can see the entrance into the old library from the hallway. The bathrooms are having some renovations but I'm not sure why there is a bathroom sink in the office.

The old library reading room is still a woodshop and storage area. This construction worker is cutting boards to finish off the new stairwell and lift area out in the north hallway.

In the picture below, he is standing in the area where the lift will go. In the far right of the picture, you can see the door to John Rempel's office and to the left the new wall that separates Brent Graber's office from the stairwell. Erland Waltner has moved to temporary quarters in an individual study room in the new library. Erland's office also has a complete wall now, not just a partition. Students entering the conference room have had to make their way through the construction zone.

I have heard that the project will be completed by December 1. I believe that when I see it!

Renovations in the Old Library

Renovations continue in the old library. In this shot of the old library workroom, note where the sink, counter and cabinets were removed on the left side. The framing is up for the wall that will separate Sharon Baker and Eric Saners' area in the foreground from the other Church Leadership Center offices in the rear. The booklift has been removed from the back corner.

Down the hallway, the bulletin boards where the catalog search computers used to be are visible on the right. Moriah Hurst's display for the April Sustainable Living Tour is still there. Brent Graber is on the ladder installing network cable.

The new single door goes into the rear office. The former double door into the old library workroom is being framed for a wall. To the right notice the new bulletin board outside Janeen Bertsche Johnson's office and a bit of the railing for the steps down to the lower level. Other than getting to Janeen's office through the new building, we are asked not to go through the construction zone.

The carpet has all been removed from this entire area along with the tile floor that was below the carpet. The library reading room provides storage for the project.

The framing in this corner of the reading room is in preparation for the cabinetry that will be installed here. This "kitchen" area will have a refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker. Snack and cold drink dispensers will also be available.

Studying in the New AMBS Library

Since classes began in early September, students have raved about the openness, light and welcoming feel of the new library. Faculty also make their way to the library to spread out on the large tables and enjoy the expansive views. Daniel Schipani and Devon Miller are studying in the north reading area.

By mid-September the study carrel wiring was completed and we had keys to the cabinets. Each carrel has outlets for power and data connections as well as a study lamp under the book shelf. A key for the cabinet is available for a $20 deposit.

Students who had made requests selected their preferred location. Carrels on the north side have indirect light and an expansive view of the prairie grass germinating on the former construction site. Carrels on the south side have views of the rain gardens and direct sunlight to combat the northern Indiana winter blues. To avoid eyestrai, Grace Mishler selected a carrel with limited daylight.

The Conference Room is Back!

The Conference Room was used for library books during the period of construction. By mid-August the black metal shelving was taken out, some by a public library and the rest of it by AMBS employees for personal use in garages and home libraries.

The room is now arranged for classes that emphasize small group discussion. These tables came from the small rooms in the Lambright Center. Those rooms now have large rectangular tables which actually fit the space better. Notice the new energy efficient air conditioning unit in the north wall.

The new stairs from the hallway to the Conference Room are not yet finished but John Rempel still welcomes visitors to his office. The carpet removed from the landing now reveals bright red floor tile! Soon a lift will be installed in the area to John's left which will make the Conference Room handicap accessible.

Renovations in the Old Library

The electricians have begun deconstruction and rewiring in the old library workroom. The ceiling has been removed in Brent Koehn's former work area and temporary lights have been installed. Some of the wall by the old book dumbwaiter has been torn out. The dumbwaiter will be completely removed to open up more space in that area.

The constructions workers can't go any further until all AMBS stuff is out of the library. So, the push is on to remove the last pieces of shelving from the old reading room. On the right you can see the lift that will soon provide access to the Conference Room and upper office suite.

The biggest job remaining is my office. There are two problems. First, the furniture in my new office cannot be finally assembled until some missing parts arrive. Second, I have been in my current office over twenty years and I cannot move without major weeding. I have 13 file drawers jammed in that office and I need to reduce to no more than four lateral file drawers. I welcome the opportunity to clean out but it takes time since old files bring back so many memories. I definitely want to move tomorrow even if it means working off a cart in the space outside my office!

Library Open for the Fall Semester

It's been a busy two weeks since the party in the library. In that last week, the maintenance staff installed lamps on the tables and connected the power and data to the floor boxes. Construction trash was removed and final clean-up completed. Toilet paper units and soap dispensers arrived for the bathrooms. We got a cart to receive books left in the book drop by the front entrance. I have a long list of unfinished tasks but I won't bore you!

The fall semester began last week with two days of orientation and the start of classes on Thursday, September 6. Students and faculty are thrilled with the new library and are coming in droves to study here. We have lots of visitors who want to tour the facility. On Tuesday the local Central District Conference pastors met here and I showed them through the library.

Today I was finally able to take some pictures again. This is the computer lab area with adjacent study tables.

Party On!!!

What??? A party in the library?

When threatening thunderstorms forced a cancellation of the faculty/staff/family river boat cruise, creative minds suggested that the dinner in the Lambright Center be followed by a party in the new library. Spouses and kids got to explore the new space with a scavenger hunt devised by Nelson Kraybill. Eric Saner provided great background music with selections on his iPod.

Library study tables are great for board games since the study lamps have not yet been mounted. There were at least two games of Dutch Blitz, one of Blokus and another of Apples to Apples. At least one person could not resist long hidden library resources. Loren Johns preferred New Testament Abstracts to Dutch Blitz.

Vacating the Old; Entering the New

The old Conference Room is empty now. Ted Koontz took the last sections of steel shelving including the two frames still in this photo.

While I was in Kansas, Lois Longenecker and Craig Neufeld almost emptied the old library workroom. Brent Koehn's work area is still in the back. His new worktable will be ready by the middle of next week so hopefully he can move in at the end of the week.

Lois and Craig are settling in to the new library. This is the student work area. The service desk is through the windows to the left. This long counter has built in shelves at each end for books in progress. There is just enough space at the bottom for the carts to fit inside the shelf. The workroom is so spacious that we will not have to move carts out of the way to get around the furniture. Hooray!

Sharon Baker, AMBS volunteer, is prepared to serve YOU at the service desk. Oops! What's that stack of books to the left? We're going to have to keep up with the shelving to avoid unsightly piles of books visible above the beautiful service desk. Notice the slot in the service desk to the lower left? This is the book drop. Books slide into at receiving area behind the desk so they don't clutter up the space on the desk. Such efficiency!

Construction Begins on Lift to Conference Room

It's been almost two weeks since my last post. My son Mark's wedding was in Newton, Kansas last week took my attention away from library moving. I've been back since Tuesday but the press of getting ready for the fall semester has kept me from blogging.

So, can you guess what this photo is? It is a picture from the north corridor of Waltner Hall. The old stairwell to the Conference Room has been torn out. You are looking from the hallway down into the back periodical stacks right about where the Mennonite Quarterly Review used to be shelved.

Bob Yoder and his assistant from DJ Construction have prepared the base for the new stairway that will go up to the Conference Room. The top of the stairs will be a landing from which you can enter the office of Brent Graber, John Rempel or Erland Waltner or you can go directly into the Conference Room. This landing area used to be the office of Barb Nelson Gingerich, Assistant to the Institute of Mennonite Studies. Barb's new office in the south wing was formerly the old bookstore sales room.

A lift will be installed in north hallway just to the right of the new stairs. This will provide access to the Conference Room and offices for people who cannot manage the stairs. The work will not be completed for the fall semester so classes have not been scheduled to meet in the Conference Room.

This is a view down the corridor from the old library entrance. The construction workers have stacked lumber in the hallway. Not the map of the world on the wall to the right.