Frequently Asked Questions

How long will the construction take?

Construction will begin in Fall 2005 and will take about four years to complete. Phase I, the addition to the existing building, will take two years to complete, opening in 2007. Phase II, the renovation and earthquake retrofitting of the existing part of building, will also take two years to complete, opening in 2009.

Plans locate the building addition to the south of the existing library building. Approximately 81,600 assignable square feet (asf) are being added to the existing building, transforming the original 114,000 square foot library into a state-of-the-art research facility to meet the instruction and research needs of UC Santa Cruz students and faculty.   Half of the net increase in the overall space of the expanded and renovated library (i.e., 40,800 assignable square feet) will be occupied by Instruction and Research (I&R) space that will revert to library use by 2019.   I&R occupants include History of Art and Visual Culture Department, Mathematics Department, and Writing Program (Division of Humanities). Media Services (and Instructional Design Services) will also have space within the expanded and renovated McHenry Library.

During the Renovation phase of the construction project, the existing part of the library building will be vacated.  From 2007-09, library services and staff will be housed in the new addition, and portions of the collection will be accommodated in the addition, moved to the Science & Engineering Library or stored in the UC Northern Regional Library Facility (NRLF) in Richmond, CA. 

Yes. The Library will be open regular hours during the construction period. Brief closures may be necessary during the periods when large collections and offices are being moved from their temporary locations to the new addition. Service desks will be temporarily relocated into the new addition for the period 2007-09 and then moved to their permanent locations in 2009.

Access and parking in the vicinity of McHenry Library will be modified to accommodate construction of the McHenry Library Addition and Renovation Project. Parking will be available in the Hahn Lot and the Performing Arts Lot. Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) has put together web pages with maps relating to parking and the library construction for pedestrians, bicyclists, and disabled access:

http://www2.ucsc.edu/taps/pages/construction_impacts.html

Hopefully, not too much. Construction is noisy, so there will be times during the day, when some parts of the library will be not be conducive to study, especially those areas nearest the south side. However, late afternoon and evening hours, as well as weekends should be noise free.

The Detailed Project Program (DPP) for the McHenry Library Addition and Renovation Project was developed in 2002 by the Programming Committee, co-chaired by the University Librarian and the Dean of the Division of Physical & Biological Sciences and comprised of library staff and faculty representatives.  The committee was staffed by Capital Planning and Space Management and by Physical Planning and Construction.   BOORA Architects, Inc. from Portland, Oregon designed the project.

In addition, a Building Committee, co-chaired by the Acting University Librarian and the Dean of the Division of Arts and comprised of library staff, and representatives from the faculty and students, worked closely with BOORA Architects during 2003-2004 on the Schematic Design (SD) and Design Development (DD) phases of the project. The committee was also staffed by Capital Planning and Space Management and by Physical Planning and Construction.

Yes, all three and more. When the project is complete in 2009, the space will be able to accommodate a growing print collection, state of the art electronic collections, and an upgraded infrastructure that will provide students with access to the latest technology. An interior avenue in the library will vastly improve flow and usability of the building and transparent glass enclosures on the perimeter of the building will provide study spaces that overlook a canopy of redwood trees. Space will also be available for special events, readings, and lectures.

The University Library deaccessions (withdraws) materials from its collection regularly for a variety of reasons. Some titles are periodically revised, and older editions are withdrawn. Damaged materials are discarded and replaced by new copies. During the McHenry Addition and Expansion Project the Library will continue to deaccession material.  For more information consult our "Deaccessioning of Materials from the University Library," document from the Library's Administrative Manual.

A number of the redwood trees will be shipped to the Carmel River Steel Head Association to assist in a streambed restoration project. One of the redwood logs will be milled into boards that will be the basis for a new UCSC sign at the base of campus. The proceeds from Big Creek Lumber will come back to the project to help offset the cost of the tree removal. The chips, bark, and other byproducts of the removal process will be given to the campus for composting and mulch.

In preparation for the start of construction on the south side of McHenry Library, the drive-up book return was removed September 2, 2005. For the duration of the construction project, there will be no drive-up book drop on campus. Books may still be dropped at the external book return that is located on the exterior wall on the north side of McHenry Library or at the external book drop at the Science & Engineering Library.