Shain Library Renovation

In May of 2013, the Connecticut College Board of Trustees announced the renovation and expansion of Shain Library, a $9.1 million project that will provide more comfortable, usable, technology-rich study spaces as well as new tools and services to conduct digital scholarship. Not to mention dramatically improve its appearance!

Renovations will begin in the summer of 2014 and the new Shain Library will re-open in August 2015.

• Consult the extensive Frequently Asked Questions section for information on research and studying, locations, and services during the renovation.
  
  
• Shain Library Renovation PowerPoint Presentation (pdf) provides some important information as well as renderings of the beautiful library-to-be.
   
• Shain Library renovation floor plans (pdf) will show you where existing and new library resources will be housed after construction is completed.

Latest news: Construction in Shain Library scheduled during spring break

The early stages of Shain Library renovations continue, with work scheduled for both weeks of spring break. The library will be open during the break: Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

During the week of March 10-14, contractors will be installing the new compact shelving units on the lower level. This work will involve drilling and the placement of existing metal shelving units onto moving carriages.

Beginning on Monday, March 17, the journal collection that has been split in half and housed on two different floors since January will be reunited on the new compact shelving units on the lower level.

Work will also be taking place on the second and third floors of Shain Library throughout the break, including the installation of new shelving units on the second floor and the continued shifting of books and journals on both floors.

There will be updated signage and maps throughout the library to indicate where materials are located, and assistance is always available at the reference desk and from library staff.

As with all construction projects that are part of the renovations of Shain, every effort is being made to minimize disruption and noise.

Please direct any questions about the renovation to shainreno@conncoll.edu. For questions about library services, visit http://www.conncoll.edu/information-services/libraries/research-tools/ask-a-librarian/.

Posted March 7, 2014

Shain Library improvements are already underway

The bulk of the remodeling will begin this summer and continue through the 2014-15 academic year, but some work has already begun in order to move the project forward on schedule. There will be construction conducted this week on the lower level of the library and some book shifting may occur on the second and third floors as well. On Tuesday, Jan.21, contractors will be drilling and installing rails for the new compact shelving units on the lower level. Because this work will be disruptive, the library will close at 4:30 p.m. and will open again the next morning at 8 a.m.

You will find a few items have already moved:

• The DVD/video and juvenile collections are now on the second floor.
  
  
• The bound journal collection is temporarily split: titles beginning with the letters PE through Z are now located in compact shelving on the lower level, while journal titles beginning with the letters A through PE will remain on the third floor until additional compact shelving is constructed on the lower level during spring break.
  
  
• Other materials have also moved. There will be signage and maps throughout the library, and assistance is always available at the reference desk and from other library staff.

Every effort is being made to minimize disruption and noise, including scheduling as much work as possible during spring break, but some projects must be done while classes are in session. Immediately before and during finals, however, all construction work in the library will be suspended.

Information and updates about the renovations will be posted throughout the life of the project on these Web pages and will be provided from shainreno@conncoll.edu. Most emails about the renovations to Shain Library will come from this address, so watch for those messages in your inbox.

Library staff members are committed to providing the same outstanding level of service throughout the renovations as they always have. Please direct any questions to shainreno@conncoll.edu. And please keep in mind that the renovated Shain Library will transform the campus and the life of everyone who uses it.

Posted Jan. 20, 2014