University of Houston Downtown Library Blog

Spring Break Hours

The library will be open the following hours over Spring Break:

• Saturday, March 15, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
• Sunday, March 16, CLOSED
• Monday, March 17, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Tuesday, March 18, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Wednesday, March 19, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (limited access)
• Thursday, March 20, 8:00 am - 5:00 pm (limited access)
• Friday, March 21, CLOSED
• Saturday, March 22, CLOSED
• Sunday, March 23, CLOSED

There will only be limited access to the library on Wednesday, March 19, and Thursday, March 20, due to construction. For access to the library on these days, please call  (713) 221-8186.

There may be construction work at the library's Circulation Desk throughout the week. Most of the construction will take place after hours, but there may be some additional noise during the day and the entrance to the library computer lab will be temporarily narrowed. The circulation desk and computer lab should be back to normal for the resumption of classes on Monday, March 24.

Please Pardon Our Noise

Many people have commented lately about drilling noises in the library's North Tower. These sounds are caused by construction for the library's four floor expansion, which is currently scheduled to open during the fall 2008 semester. We apologize for the distraction and we hope you will bear with us as we work to expand the amount of study space available to students. For details about the expansion, please see the updated floor plan, furniture plan, and photo gallery.

4th Floor Renovation Update

After test holes were drilled over the holiday, construction of the stairway between the 4th and 5th floors has been delayed, but our construction crews continue to work on the 4th floor space and we expect that area to open in time for the fall semester as planned.

Here is an updated floor plan for the 4th floor space:

Library Construction Update

The library expansion project is underway. The fourth floor of the North Tower has been cleared to make room for a computer lab, study rooms, and library classrooms. You can see photos of the demolition work in our Photo Gallery.

Over the Winter Break, we will begin work on the next phase of construction -- the drilling of a hole for a new stairway between the fourth and fifth floors. Part of the current Circulation Desk will be removed during this phase of construction, so look for some noticeable changes in the new year!

Library Computer Use Changes

In line with UHD's concern for the environment and student resources, the Library is moving to control wasteful printing and modify alumni computer usage limits.

Beginning with the spring semester of 2008, printing in the Library at UH-Downtown will be controlled using the same system as in the UHD Academic Computing Lab. Rising paper and ink costs, in addition to the wasted print jobs found left behind every day, make it clear that unrestricted printing is taking a great toll on UHD student resources. The Library just wants you to think before you print!

Also in the new semester -- UHD alumni continue to be welcome to use four sit-down computers available in the Library on a first-come, first-served basis, as long as they have alumni cards. Previously, the Library has not had a time limit on this usage. However, with the rise in enrollment and consequent strain on resources, it has become necessary to limit alumni usage to two hours per day.

Watch this blog and notices in the Library computing area for further information.

Try It! (Maybe) You'll Like It!

Now featured in the Library's south tower -- sample furniture to try out for the library expansion! Come into the Library, turn left, and go all the way around the big service desk till you see the furniture. The furniture is numbered, and we have simple forms to rate it and make comments.

Facilities has been able to obtain some items from vendors to try out. They would be intended for use in open reader space and the computer lab in the expanded library.

We want your opinions, UHD folks -- you're the ones who will be using this furniture! Come by the Library (5th floor, One Main building, come up from the Main Street/light rail stop side) before Thanksgiving break, and give us your feedback. 

Library Expansion Floor Plans

Over the next two years, the library will undergo a major renovation and expansion project. The first phase of this project is beginning now on the fourth floor. Here are the proposed plans for the renovated library (click on an image to see a larger version of each image):

Library Receives Renovation Grants

Please join us in thanking two generous donors who have recently awarded grants to support the renovation and expansion of the W. I. Dykes Library. The Rockwell Fund, Inc. has awarded a grant of $500,000 with five annual installments of $100,000 beginning August 15, 2008. The university has also received a contribution of $10,000 from the Ray C. Fish Foundation.We thank these organizations for their support of UHD and this crucial renovation project.

Library Expansion Group: Last Spring Meeting Held

On Thursday, May 10, 2007 at 1pm, the Library Expansion Group met; the meeting was also attended by a number of library staff and other interested parties from around the University. We discussed the results of the student survey and noted especially the desire for quiet study areas, which may be even greater than we had previously thought.

Input is also being sought through the faculty survey that the Library Committee is performing. The Library has provided input on needs for staff space to Chris McCall, who is working on suggested layouts.

Attendees from Information Technology noted the importance of considering cabling needs soon, especially since the clearing out of the North Tower of the One Building's 4th floor is to begin this fall. New functions will then be located in that area, and IT issues are very important.

The group as a whole will not plan to meet during the summer. There are two major next steps:

1. Facilities and the Library come up with a final floor plan, and work with the University Administration on finalizing it.
2. Facilities and the Library will start working with furniture vendors for the public library spaces; emphasis will be on letting the University community try out various options and have input on what is chosen.

I welcome ongoing input from anyone in the UHD community, so if you have comments, concerns, or questions, feel free to get in touch and/or comment on this posting.

Pat Ensor
Executive Director, Library Services
UHD

Student Survey Results

Check out our new report Library Survey of Students (PDF) to see what students said they would like to see in a renovated library facility.

Here are some of the most frequently mentioned issues:

• More genuinely quite study spaces for individuals
• More separate study spaces for team projects and study groups
• A bigger computer lab with more printers and scanners
• Bigger and more diverse collections of books, journals, and videos
• Computers with word processing and other office applications
• Comfortable and adjustable furniture
• A conveniently-located coffee house or vending machines

For a wider selection of opinions and quotations, please see the full report.

We want to send out a big thanks to everyone who participated in the survey. You gave us a lot of great feedback that will help us build better library facilities, more useful services, and stronger research collections. Please watch the UHD Library Blog for opportunities to offer additional feedback and for news about how we are putting your suggestions into action.