Page 4 - Windows-Newsletter-Spring-2014

Message from the Dean

Our library world is changing. If you want to take a picture of Mary Couts Burnett Library
as it is now (and will never look this way again!) come by in the next few weeks. The new
Library entrance facing University Dr. will be in place by early to mid-June this summer.
Shortly after that, those large steps that now take you into the 1980s addition, will be
no more. From summer 2014 through fall 2015, the library will be a construction zone
and a working library, all at the same time. We will do our best to provide a welcoming,
effective experience for TCU students, knowing that construction will be ongoing with
significantly reduced space for staff and students. We have temporarily located the
Library’s Technical Services departments off site to the Library Annex since there is not
room for all employees on site during construction. We hired a new librarian to direct our efforts at the Library Annex; she will
oversee the scanning service for journal articles and the courier service that brings back requested material to campus.
We have permanently relocated 800,000 volumes to the Library Annex. We have had help from dozens of TCU students and
library staff who prepared volumes for the move. The volumes are stored by size at the Annex, necessitating a new software
retrieval system since the spine labels are no longer the locating mechanism when retrieving items. Each volume at the Annex
has also had its computer record changed in the library’s database to reflect its new location. Many thanks to our creative library
systems staff for their development of new software.
We’re planning a milestone party later this month to celebrate how much we accomplished!
What is next? Once spring semester is finished, we will relocate staff and collections from the 1980s wing to other parts of the
building over the summer months. Construction begins on what is now the 1980s wing after that. The very first project will be
to create a new rare book vault in its permanent location. We have two large collections still to move. There is a sub-basement
level to the building that is full of archival material; these items will be stored in specially conditioned space at the Library
Annex. There is a 10,000 square foot storage facility on the west side of Fort Worth where the Library has stored well over
100,000 volumes for more than a decade at this location. All of this material will be sized, barcoded and moved to the Library
Annex where it will be integrated with the collections there.
By the time we get all this done, it will be time for my fall newsletter and I’ll continue the saga with more news. As our Friends
and donors, you are welcome to visit us any time!

Dr. June Koelker
Dean, Mary Couts Burnett Library

4 TCU Library