The summer has brought many changes to the inside and outside of Alden Library. The latest modification to the building targets the second-floor stairs, making them wheelchair accessible.
According to Pamela Callahan, director of capital planning for facilities planning, the $230,775 construction project will be paid for by state appropriations.
Most of the concrete pouring is completed, and the project remains on schedule, said Gary Hunt, associate dean of Alden Library. The ramp will have two switchback ramps that will get you up to the top. And there will be landscaping between the two ramps
he said, adding that the project should be completed before the first week of Fall Quarter classes.
In addition to the new wheelchair ramp, the second-floor entrance steps in front of Alden will be replaced.
The steps were in pretty bad condition -more than 35 years old -(so) we had them demolished and rebuilt said Hunt.
Prior to its installation, the only wheelchair access to Alden Library was on the fourth floor. It has been a priority of ours to have wheelchair access for the second floor Hunt said.
There have been no formal complaints regarding the lack of wheelchair access on the second floor, said Katherine Fahey, director of disability services and assistant director of institutional equity.
The wheelchair-access ramp is not Alden's sole construction project. On May 23, Phase II construction began in the second-floor Learning Commons.
The crown jewel of the $800,000 project is the Café Bibliotheca -a student-run café on the library's second floor that will serve both drinks and food, Hunt said.
The café will operate as a satellite of The Oasis
Hunt said. Food preparation will be done at The Oasis
while high-end coffees will be brewed on the spot.
During after-hours, only the café's vending machines will be open, enabling people to purchase coffee and various foods, Hunt said.
Other highlights of the construction include an increase of approximately 50 new computers -both Macintosh and PC -six multimedia computers and a large screen to project PowerPoint and video projects. Also, the number of laptops available for loan will increase from 16 to 32.
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Justin Noga
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Alden's Wesbound Park Place has been closed to accomodate construction of Alden Library's new $230,000 wheelchair ramp. The addition will make the 2nd floor Learning Commons more accessible to students.
