Main Library dons new apparel over winter break

The library was closed over winter break while crews worked to recarpet more than 81,000 square feet in the ground floor's reference section, 38 staff and administration offices and the entire third floor.

The work cost nearly $280,000, said Pete Burgard, senior buyer for the University of Arizona's Procurement and Contracting Services department.

He said almost $245,000 was spent on carpet removal and installation, while the bill for moving books and furniture totaled almost $30,000. An additional $6,000 will go to install vinyl landings on the main staircases, he said.

Moving crews packed up more than 22,000 reference books, all furniture, including bookshelves, and more than 100 computer terminals in the reference section to make way for the carpet work on the ground floor, said UA librarian Vicki Mills.

On the third floor, carpet crews cut around the book stacks to recarpet the aisles and study areas, she said.

Mills said cutting around the bookshelves saved a great deal of money, and allowed the job to be done quickly.

"I don't think there is any way we could have done this in three weeks if we had to move all the (third floor) books out," she said.

Over winter break, students were able to check out books from the Main Library stacks through the Science-Engineering and Oriental Studies Library.

Main Library supervisor Steve Llewellyn said staff retrieved an average of 190 books per day from the Main Library to loan out from the science library during the vacation.

Staff at the science library, who brought back books from the stacks at Main, said the three weeks went smoothly overall, with no major patron complaints.

Kelly McGehee, a sculpture graduate student, said she needed eight books from the Main Library while it was closed.

"They were very helpful. It took about 30 minutes to get all my books," she said.

But many students who tried to get into the Main Library yesterday were irritated to find the building closed.

Margaret O'Connor, a biology freshman, came to the Main Library hoping to find ideas for tattoos.

"It sucks. I wanted to get a tattoo today, but now it's not going to happen," O'Connor said.

Library officials said new carpet is long overdue.

The removed carpet was the original carpet installed when the Main Library was built in the late 1970s, Mills said.

Al Tarcola, director of UA Facilities Management, said the carpet was dirty, worn and was a tripping hazard.

"It was not fitting for this type of institution, with all the student activity, with scholars and visitors using the library, to have a building looking like that," Tarcola said.

He said the new carpet will improve the mood of all who use the library.

"We feel our students should have a more pleasing aesthetic environment in which to work. I was a student here, and I know atmosphere is very important," he said.

Several students said they did not remember the carpet being in bad condition.

Psychology sophomore Kory Wagstaff offered a representative response.

"I thought it was good enough," Wagstaff said. "They could have put the money toward something else."

The carpet, which is gray with multicolored spots, was chosen by a special team of library staff members. A vote of library and custodial staff and students finally selected one pattern out of 20 samples, Burgard said.