ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries In this issue: Northern Illinois University Opens New Library Building 291 ACRL Constitution and Bylaws 295 ACRL Interns Selected 298 ACRL Seeks Volunteers 299 News From the Field 302 P e o p l e .............................................311 Publications...................................... 313 Classified Advertising 319 ISSN 0099-0086 C O L L E G E & R E S E A R C H L I B R A R I E S news NO. 10 • NOVEMBER 1977 Northern Illinois University Opens New Library Building Located at the center of the campus, North­ ern Illinois University’s new library opened its doors for the first time to the public on January 10, 1977, the beginning of the spring semester. The move into the new building began during the Christmas recess and was completed with the relocation of the last of its technical services departments, during the spring break in March. When the library opened, approximately 75 percent of the books and periodicals were on the shelves and all essential public services de­ partments were staffed. The new library has 293,323 gross square feet of space distributed among five floors. The entry level is on the second floor. The first floor, known as the “Lower Level,” houses the technical services departments, staff lounge, main student lounge, and a photoduplication department. The entry level incorporates circu­ lation and general reference services, the union card catalog, and shelving for a majority of the library’s bound periodicals. Also on this floor is a room for the visually handicapped. Blind or partially sighted students are aided in their studies by equipment in this room, including a print enlarger, braille writers, tape players, braille reference books, reference materials printed in large type, and other facilities. The three upper floors of the new library, named Founders Memorial Library, house the circulating book collections as well as such spe­ cialized departments as Current Periodicals, Microforms, Government Publications, and Rare Books and Special Collections. Circulating books are organized in a “subject cluster” ar­ rangement. There are ten subject clusters; be­ sides circulating books, each incorporates a spe­ cialized reference collection and is staffed by a subject specialist librarian who acts both as a reference librarian and as a bibliographer. The upper floors also include colloquium rooms which serve a dual function: either for seminars, involving library materials, or as group studies. Other special rooms include sixty-four faculty studies, smoking lounges, typ­ ing rooms, and “subject awareness rooms,” the latter dedicated exclusively to faculty use. Vertical transportation to all floors is pro­ vided by two elevators in combination with es­ calators capable of transporting 5,000 people per hour. A third elevator, at the rear of the building, opens onto the shipping and receiv­ ing area and is used for freight and by the library staff. Occupation of Founders Memorial Library was delayed a full year as a result of lawsuits over the bid for the bookstacks. Three times over the course of a year the next-to-low bidder sued the State of Illinois in federal court, con­ tending that the low bidder failed to meet bid specifications for the stacks. Finally, upon the plaintiff’s losing his case a third time, the low bidder was allowed to produce and install the bookstacks. Because of the shortness of time be­ tween the installation of the stacks and the date set for moving, it was impossible to solicit bids News issue (A ) of College & Research Libraries, vol. 38, no. 6 292 from professional movers. The move, therefore, had to be planned in its entirety by the library and then executed using library staff, students, and university employees and equipment. To everyone’s relief, the massive shift of materials, furniture, and personnel into the new building was effected without serious incident. Founders Memorial Library was named in honor of the four men in the community of DeKalb most responsible for the establishment, in 1895, of a normal school which later grew into Northern Illinois University. Founders is connected by a bridge to the old main library, Swen Franklin Parson. The Parson Library was opened in 1952 and twice expanded in the 1960s. In spite of the remodeling, which more than doubled the size of Parson, the library collections quickly outgrew the space. Further expansion of Parson appeared unfeasible; the building was already awkwardly long, causing a scattering of its collections. Library special­ ists called in to assess Northern’s library needs recommended that a new main library be con­ structed and Parson turned into an undergrad­ uate library. Their recommendations have been followed, except that less than half of Parson will be retained to house the undergraduate library, scheduled to open early in 1978. The balance of the Parson building is to be re­ modeled for other university functions. Experience in living in the building for sev­ eral months has uncovered no major flaws in its design. Library spaces are completely flexible, hindered by few permanent structural features other than those for the elevator-escalator core. All rest rooms are on the periphery of the floors. No atriums cut through valuable spaces on upper floors; in spite of this, the architects managed to achieve a dramatic change in level at the building’s entrance lobby through the simple expedient of lowering part of the ceiling in one room on the floor below. Ceilings on all floors are nine feet, six inches high except the entry floor, which has a ceiling of eleven feet, six inches. Interior finishes in the building incorporate many of the materials used on the exterior. Bearing walls are faced with cocoa-brown brick. The textured limestone used for the spandrels on the exterior is repeated in the escalator core. The entrance floor as well as the floors in the elevator-escalator core are paved with glazed brick. Approximately 80 percent of the library is carpeted. Offices and special- function rooms are constructed of clear-finished oak and polished glass. Much of the library furniture is also con­ structed of oak, with a natural finish. Warm, autumn colors used in upholstery and other design elements create a cheerful environment for users, which is particularly welcome during the long northern Illinois winters. A mix of reader tables, carrels, and lounge furniture pro­ vides a variety of seating and study areas for library users. Architects for the library were Hellmuth, Obata, and Kassabaum. The firm has designed a number of other academic libraries, including those at the University of Denver, Southern Illinois University ( Edwardsville)‚ University of Wisconsin (Kenosha), and Western Illinois University. Library Consultants, Inc., were the chief con­ sultants for the library and assisted in all phases of the planning, commencing with a program­ matic statement on library needs through the final execution of furnishing and equipping the building. Dedication of the new library is expected to take place in late fall. ■ ■ Unordered Books In addition to gifts, libraries occasion­ ally receive unordered books “on ap­ proval” or otherwise accompanied by invoices. Librarians vary in their treatment of such unsolicited shipments, but all should be aware of the legal standards that apply to receipt of unsolicited books. These are found in the U.S. Code, Title 39, Section 3009 (August 12, 1 9 7 0 ): Mailing o f U nordered M erchandise. News items for inclusion in C &RL News should be sent to John V. Crowley, Assistant Director of Libraries, Milne Library, State University College, Oneonta, NY 13820. Advertising (including classi­ fied ads) should be sent to Leona Swiech, A d ­ vertising Office, American Library Association, 50 E. Huron St., Chicago, IL 60611. Production and circulation matters are handled by A L A Central Production Unit, at the above address. News editor: John V. Crowley, Assistant Director of Libraries, Milne Library, State University C o l­ lege, Oneonta, N Y 13820. Associate news editor, W illiam B. Weiss, Assistant Librarian, C atalogin g Department, Milne Library, State University C o l­ lege, Oneonta, N Y 13820. Editor: Richard D. John­ son, Milne Library, State University College, Oneonta, N Y 13820. President, A C R L : Eldred R. Smith. Executive Secretary, A C R L : Julie A . Carroll Virgo. Colle ge & Research Libraries is published by the Association of Colle ge and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, 17 times yearly— 6 bimonthly fournal issues and II monthly (combining July-August) News issues— at 1201-05 Bluff St., Fulton, M O 65251. Subscription, $15.00 a year, or to members of the division, $7.50, included in dues. Second-class postage paid at Fulton, Missouri 65251. © American Library Association 1977. A ll material in this journal subject to copyright by the Ameri­ can Library Association may be photocopied for the noncommercial purpose of scientific or educa­ tional advancement. 293 A b ov e le ft: circulation d e s k o f N IU ’s F ou n ders M em orial L ibrary. A b o v e right: in side library’s m ain en tran ce. B elow : d a y tim e v iew o f b u ild ­ ing’s m ain entrance. 294 Evening view o f main entrance‚ F o u n d e r s M e m o r i a l L i b r a r y , Northern Illinois Uni­ versity. F act Sheet on Founders Memorial Library Architects: Hellmuth, Obata & Kassa- systems in natural finish red oak baum frames with clear polished plate glass Consultants: Library Consultants, Inc. or wire glass where code requires. Gross Area: 293,323 square feet (5-story Acoustical access-type ceilings. Floor building) coverings include carpeting, brick pav­ Net Assignable Area: 2 0 4 ,139 square ing around cores, and vinyl asbestos feet tile in work areas. Percent of Efficiency: 69.6% of gross area Vertical Transportation— 3,500-lb. auto­ Dimensions of Building: 213' wide x 2 52' matic traveling elevators; escalators long x 7 8 ' high to top of penthouse 7 5 -9 0 feet per minute units, 3 2 " ( 2 4 " Seating Capacity: 2,400 tread ) wide, 5,000-persons-per-hour Shelving Capacity: 1,000,000 volumes capacity. (e st.) Heating and Air Conditioning— Forced Costs: air system with supply and return Building Construction $ 9,995,000 through ceiling, using steam from the Site Preparation 161,000 university’s central plant. Central re­ Architectural Fees 4 8 0 ,000 frigeration system within building; Equipment & Furnishings 1,700,000 cooling towers on roof. Miscellaneous Costs 8,000 Electrical— In general, fluorescent non­ Grand Total $12,344,000 glare low brightness system providing General Description: lighting level of 8 5 -9 0 foot candles. Exterior Walls— Brick (C ocoa Brown Furniture and Equipm ent: Flash Colonials); spandrels of textured Books tacks— Aetnastak tapa-fmish limestone. Reader Chair— Gunlocke Window Systems— Frames of medium Carpeting— Lee bronze duranodic aluminum. Glazing Office Furniture— Allsteel of glare-resistant bronze insulated pol­ Card Catalog Cabinets— Library Bu­ ished plate glass. reau Interior Finishes— Core areas of brick used Tables, Lounge Furniture— Miscella­ on exterior, other walls o f dry wall neous manufacturers construction, painted. Glass and frame Carrels— National Products Display