At 12.45 pm Jeff Field will give a 30 min presentation on the history of the Rutherford medals. The replicas of these medals are currently on display on level 2 of the Central Library.
I hope you can join us.
Joan Simpson

Permission has been given to Jo Duncan from marketing to film in the Central Library today. Staff or students prepared to be filmed must sign a permission form etc. If you do not wish to be filmed simply advise the camera operator of this.

Joan Simpson

At a recent forum on the James Building there was a question regarding the door releases on level 1. This is my response

In order to pass the 5 step process for reoccupation of the building all life support needs to be functioning. I do not have concerns regarding alarms, sprinklers or door releases.

I am aware of the concern raised from the February evacuation via the level 1 stairs. Please note it is not a break glass situation. The door releases require the person to push the glass in to activate the door release. Usually these door releases are very easy to operate. I do not know why staff had problems pushing the the glass backwards. If staff are concerned about these door releases then I am happy to meet with them and a security guard and we can practice releasing the doors.

The additional safety steps that have been taken to improve our processes are that:

There will be a separate button in the level 2 workroom which will release all doors on level 1 without calling the fire brigade.

We will have the ability to speak to all levels with a specific message.

As there was no fire, I hesitated to press the fire evacuation panel on the evacuation in June when I was in the building. Until the new button is installed staff will be pressing the fire evacuation button if we evacuate again so that by the time people get down to level 1 the doors should already be released.

Staff have been advised that they do not travel up the building to check for floor clearance, we clear from the floors we are on down. However, own safety comes first.

Joan Simpson

Four staff (names below) from the International Relationships Office have moved in to the Level 3 offices in the Central Library. If there are queries at the Information desk please direct them up the staircase from level 2 (not the staff stairwell) and around to the admin area.

International Relationships Office (IRO) is responsible for assisting in the support and development of the University’s Internationalisation strategy lead by Senior Management Team international (SMTi). The IRO promotes and facilitates study abroad and student exchange programmes which gives our students international experience. We coordinate establishing partnerships with leading international institutions and the partnership form varies from MOU to dual degrees or twinning programmes to enrich the UC programmes. The IRO also works with top international high schools to create pathways to UC as well as international government and education bodies to support international sponsored students, and education agencies to recruit quality students.

Bob Korzeniowski – International Relationships Director
Anna Foster – International Mobility Co-ordinator
Percy Chan – International Mobility Co-ordinator
Yoshiko Takanawa – International Projects Administrator

Please introduce yourselves to these colleagues especially in the staffroom area.

Joan Simpson

From Monday 18 July levels 6, 8, 9 and 10 will be available for study, browsing and borrowing from the collection. These levels are quiet study zones. This will be quite a day for the Central team to have the library users moving up through the building. We have a busy couple of days to complete the final tidy up on these levels etc. Good progess is being made on Level 4 which I still estimate to be open by the end of the month. I do not have a timeframe for Level 11. Half of the floor has been packed up and all the shelving has been dismantled in order for the concrete floor to be checked. The floor thankfully was in good condition but we are waiting to hear whether new carpet will be laid on half of the floor before the shelving is put back together.
Joan Simpson

The entrance to the UCSA is actually up the stairs by the loading bay on the South side of the James Hight building. There is no access to the undercroft. There is a footpath sign indicating where to go into the building.
Joan

At this time the James HIght tower has not been returned to the library by the contractors however Library staff do have access to most floors for shelving and retrievals. Level 4 has been most affected by lack of access since September 2010. Provided library staff maintain access to level 4 I estimate that all books will be available within 3 weeks. I cannot guarantee access by the UC community but library staff should be able to retrieve from the entire collection by this time.
Joan Simpson
Manager, Central Library and Learning Hub

We now have access to work on level 4 so staff will be tagging, shelving and weeding on this floor over the next couple of weeks until the floor is ready to reopen.

I have offered to escort academic staff and post grad students to levels 6, 8, 9 and 10 over the next couple of days in order for them to browse and borrow material. I have set times 9.30 am and 2.30 pm Thursday and Friday meeting me on level 2. This is a trial to see if we can manage this type of access until the Library can open the floors to the UC Community.

Joan Simpson

We wish to advise that Kim Bestic has resigned from her library assistant position. Kim will not return to work before her date of resignation.

We wish Kim and her family all the best for the future.

Joan and Anne

The doors to level 2 of the Central Library will reopen at 8 am on Monday 4 July. The semester 2 hours for the libraries have been set and the main differences are that Central will close at 9 pm and Law will open until 9 pm on a Sunday evening.

Levels 2 and 3 will be available. No current timeframe is availalbe for the opening of the remainder of the building.

Joan Simpson