Hot off the Press –
I have just been told by Donovan Connolly (of Courtney Architects) that building consent for the refurbishment work in EL has been received. This is a relief as, given the tight timeframe for the whole project, we could not afford any further delays.
Dawn

As Heather’s earlier posting pointed out, EL has now closed for the summer to allow refurbishments to take place. Although we are technically (and legally) able to be in the building at this time, the EL team may de-camp should working conditions become too uncomfortable, i.e. noisy, dusty etc. For the moment, we are at work and contactable as per normal.

However, I attended the pre-contract meeting with Fletchers, Facilities Management and Donovan Connolly from Courtney Architects on Thursday 12th where it was announced that building consent for this project had not yet been issued. It is not possible to say when consent will be granted but suffice to say I don’t expect to see any building work commence this week. EL will remain closed to the public in the meantime, but staff will be in the building and will be contactable via phone or email. CUEN will be able to supply interloans as per normal for now, but we will review that situation later in the week.

Today we have Greg Hornsby from Mansfield Merchandising in the building to dismantle all the empty stack on Level 2 and erect temporary stack on Level 1. We will then move all the remaining print journals from Level 2 to Level 1 (with the help of some casual assistants). ICTS staff are in the building today and tomorrow to remove all the computers from the Cave. Facilities will also be removing all the furniture from Levels 2 and 3 which, along with the dismantling of all stack on Level 2, ensures that this level is completely cleared for the contractors to (eventually) start work.

Dawn

TEU personnel would like to meet with members in EL/PSL tomorrow between 1 and 3 to discuss issues arising from the Staffing Change Proposal. I realise many colleagues are involved with LIANZA Conference this week so other Library teams may already be short-staffed, but if anyone is able/willing to help on our service desks tomorrow between 1 and 3, please let me know asap (and please let me know what time would suit you – e.g. 1-2; 2-3 etc).
Many thanks
Dawn

Thanks very much to all those who have helped move stock in EL over the past week. We are slightly ahead of schedule with this work, so have taken a short break before plunging on with the next stage.

As part of the preparation for the merger, we need to separate EL journals from EL monographs, as ultimately ALL EL and PSL print journals will be housed in mobile shelving on Level 1. We are doing this in two stages, as we have to find temporary holding areas for EL print journals while we wait for mobile shelving to be installed. This isn’t likely to happen in a hurry, so we propose to erect temporary shelving on Level 1 once end-of-year exams have finished and the Library is closed. Until then, we have moved some of the journals to existing shelving on Level 1 and the balance to the south-west corner of Level 2. To enable the contractors to work freely on Level 2 once constuction starts, we will have to move ALL the stock off this floor. Therefore, we will move all remaining EL monographs to Level 3 and this is the next part of our stock re-shuffle project. However, as the new layout requires that some bays on the mezzanine area stack (Level 3) are dismantled and the remaining stacks re-positioned, we are taking advantage of the fact that these stacks are almost empty at the moment and therefore easier to move. We will work on moving these early next week before moving monograph stock from Level 2 to Level 3. Confused? I can’t think why!

If you would like to get an idea of what the new merged library layout will be, have a look at the latest floor plans at
file://K:/buildings_equipment/EL_PSL_merger_AE022/Floor_Plans”

In the meantime, thanks for all the help over the past week. There will be more stock moving to be done in the next week or two and we will be grateful for any assistance we can, so please watch this space for your chance to volunteer!

Dawn

As EL will be closed for the duration of the summer, we have altered the loan periods for our long-term loan material so that due dates are not within the period of closure. Thanks to Alison in Library IT, EL long-term material will be issuing now until February 2010. Some of you will have noticed this already. Alison has also ensured that due dates are staggered, so that everything does not all come back on the same day! Due dates for two-week loan dates will also be adjusted appropriately when the time comes.
Dawn

The EL team has just completed a major stock move in preparation for the upcoming merger. Our next task is re-shuffle the remaining stock, separating the journals from the books. This is a big job, so we’d appreciate as many volunteers as possible to help us out, starting Monday 21st September and continuing until Friday 16th October. You don’t need to be here every day, even an hour or two of your time would be great. We’d be looking for up to three people at a time. If you’d like to join in the fun, enjoy convivial company and reap the satisfaction of a job well done, please add your name to the Stock Moving Roster at
file://K:/collections/eng_psl/Engineering_Stock_Move_Roster.xls
Many thanks
Dawn

As I will be on annual leave from 4th May until 3rd June, Theresa will be Acting Engineering and Physical Sciences Libraries Manager during this time and will be based in my office. However, Theresa is attending the Educause Conference next week in Perth so in her absence Dave and Adam will ensure that operations run smoothly in Engineering and PSL respectively. When I return from annual leave, Theresa will revert to her role as Assistant Manager, Engineering and Physical Sciences Libraries, but she will remain in Engineering for some time and can be reached on extension 3484.
Dawn

We (Theresa Graham, Anne Milligan and myself) are pleased to announce that Jenny Fitzgerald and Zina Swanson have accepted part-time library assistant positions and will be joining the Engineering Library very soon. Zina will be working Thursday evenings, all day Friday and Sunday in an Academic Year Only position whereas Jenny will be working Monday and Tuesday from 1-9pm and Thursday afternoons in a whole-of-year position. During the summer Jenny’s Monday and Tuesday hours are 8.30 – 5.00pm. Zina starts work today and Jenny will start on Monday 16th March.
Dawn

The Engineering Team will be losing two of its members in the near future as Lucy Dickinson and Theresa Luoni have both resigned in order to pursue different opportunities. Lucy is leaving for a new life in Australia and Theresa has been appointed to a position as Information Librarian in the Aotearoa New Zealand Collection, Christchurch City Libraries. Both Lucy and Theresa have been enthusiastic, cheerful and hard-working colleagues, and they will be missed by us all. Lucy actually flies out to Adelaide tomorrow while Theresa’s last day with us will be Friday 9th January 2009. We would like to wish them all the best for their future(s) and sincerely hope that this next stage in life is exciting and rewarding for both. Best wishes from us all,
Dawn