A: The library is evolving as a center for teaching and learning in the university. The expansion will provide additional shelf space for our growing book collection, more seating and quiet study areas, greater technological capabilities, and a 24-hour study space to enhance this new role.

A: Phase I will add new space to the west of the building. During Phase II, existing collections, service points, and offices will be rearranged to create a seamless connection and allow movement between the new and existing portions of the building.

A: A new entrance facing Third Street mirrors the goal of the campus master plan, which projects growth to the west (e.g., more dorms). The east entrance will remain in place to preserve access from the central quadrangle and the majority of classroom buildings.

A: Yes. The library plans to remain open regular hours during the academic year.

A: Hopefully, not too much. Construction is inherently loud, so there will be times when parts of the library might be noisy. The good news is that the construction will end most days around 3:30 p.m., and no construction will take place on weekends. If you study in the evening or on the weekends, as most students do, you shouldn't be disturbed at all. If you want to study on weekdays before 3:30 p.m., you might want to try the third or fourth floors near the front of the library (east side of the building), which will be the farthest from construction.

A: The entire project is expected to take 2 years to complete. We anticipate opening the new portion of the building in the fall of 2005.

A: Yes, yes, and yes. The expansion includes the addition of a robotic retrieval system (RRS) which can hold up to 1.2 million volumes. This will free up other spaces in the library for increased individual and group study spaces and an expanded café. The addition will include a new 24-hour study area which will provide additional computer access and study space for our students. Phase II, the renovation of the existing building, will allow us to make the best use of the extra space created in Phase I.

A: The expanded library will include a 24-hour study area. During hours when the rest of Ekstrom Library is closed, the study area will be accessible using your Cardinal Card.

A: Initially, we considered enclosing the tulip poplar with a courtyard; however, this will not be feasible. A certified arborist assessed the tree and indicated that the tulip poplar "...is an over-mature specimen ... (with) significant decay" which would not survive the construction process necessary to enclose it. We are currently considering ideas for how the wood of this tree might be used.

A: Yes. Students have been involved in the planning process from the beginning. We received input informally from students by working with them and through our user surveys and comment forms. We began receiving student input more systematically in 2002, when our planning consultants interviewed students in the building to get their ideas about what they need and want from their library. Student input was also gathered at a meeting between Hannelore Rader (Dean of the University Libraries) and Student Government Association members in the spring of 2003. In the summer of 2003, we also plan to conduct a student focus group.

A: Yes. The Faculty Senate Committee on Libraries has been involved in the process. Individual faculty will have additional opportunities to give their input during upcoming events. The Library Liaison Program is sponsoring a brown bag lunch event in Summer 2003 to give all faculty an opportunity to express what they need and want from their library. For more information about the brown bag lunch, please contact Mary Barbosa-Jerez at mebarb01@louisville.edu. In addition, a faculty focus group will be organized this summer and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee is organizing a meeting with planners.

A: The Robotic Retrieval System is a temperature and humidity-controlled environment that can hold up to 1.2 million volumes. Each item is inserted with a chip that allows the robot to locate the particular bin containing that item. The robot retrieves the bin and delivers it to the service counter where an attendant will pull out the appropriate item and give it to the patron. To see what the robot looks like, visit the web site at Sonoma State University (http://libweb.sonoma.edu/about/ars.html )where a similar system is used.

A: If you need a book or journal stored in the RRS, you can place a request from any computer and then go to the Circulation Desk to pick up the item. The retrieval process takes about 5 minutes.

A: No. The University Libraries currently have 1.8 million volumes of material... and the collection is growing daily! The RRS can store 1.2 million volumes, so it won't have enough space to hold the entire collection. The unit will be used to store less heavily used items, mainly including older journals as well as books from many of the University Libraries.

A: Yes - electronically. You can browse the items by using Minerva, the online catalog. If you find an item in the subject area you are interested in, just click on the call number to get a browsable list of titles with subsequent call numbers. You will not, however, be able to physically browse the bins of the RRS.

A: Yes. Grand Valley State University shows its Automated Retrieval System (nicknamed Spot) on its website at http://www.gvsu.edu/library/spot/SEESPOT_SD_files/frame.htm. See also the construction photos of the system at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas Lied Library. Other libraries that have robotic retrieval systems include Sonoma State Library, Eastern Michign University Library, and California State University, Northridge.

A: Phase I (the expansion) will cost $14.2 million. The cost of Phase II (the renovation of the current building) has not yet been determined.

A: Phase I (the expansion) is federally funded.

A: The expansion of Ekstrom Library will impact the other UofL Libraries in a number of ways. The RRS will allow for storage (on Belknap Campus) of less heavily used materials that are currently taking up scarce shelf space in the libraries. Also, due to space constrictions in the Speed School of Engineering, the entire Kersey Library collection (and staff) will be merged and fully integrated into the planned renovation of Ekstrom Library.