Foster Business Library News

This summer the first part of a renovation project was completed at the Foster Business Library.  The goal is to re-orient the library and create a new entrance on the mezzanine level that opens into PACCAR Hall. Two sets of temporary construction walls were built on the mezzanine and ground levels to contain the loud noise and dust resulting from cutting through the concrete wall and mezzanine floor. These temporary walls will remain in place through the academic year and some library seating has been displaced. The contractors will continue working behind the construction walls during the school year, some days may be a little noisy. The contractors stop work at 3pm each weekday, so the late afternoons, evenings, and weekends should be relatively quiet.

The rest of the work will be completed during the summer of 2010.  At that time we’ll close the BOAEEC side of the library for three months, turn it over to the contractors so they can complete their work, and operate library services temporarily out of the Balmer side.  We’ll open the new renovated library space in time fall quarter 2010. The renovated space will include more seating, a new carpet, more group study rooms, and a new entrance and Circulation Desk.

If you have questions or concerns about the renovation project, please
contact buslib@uw.edu or 206-543-4360.

The loud concrete demolition is done! The Foster Business Library is now open and will be returning to our normal Summer hours.

The work in the ceiling above the reading area is finished and the huge curtain of sheet plastic that has enclosed it since mid-June has been removed by the contractors. The noisy beam breaking work on the mezzanine continues and is expected to be completed by the end of the week.

Part of the renovation work going on this summer involves sawing a large hole in our mezzanine floor for what will eventually be a new stairway leading into the library from PACCAR Hall. A large concrete beam in the mezzanine floor is too big to saw and will need to be broken out in chunks. This beam breaking work will start at 4am during the week of July 27 and continue until around noon.

Because we expect the beam breaking work to be too noisy and disruptive to allow normal library operations, we will open the Foster Library at 11am Monday through Friday of next week – July 27 to July 31.

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience these shorter hours may cause. If you have any questions or concerns please send a note to buslib@u.washington.edu or call 543-4360.

Thanks.

-Gordon