We have hit a milestone at Countway!
I want to let you know that Meyers has completed moving items out of Countway Library building per their contract. They have packed up their remaining supplies and equipment and have left the building. They may need to return at some point this fall to pick up a stray box or two and collections which are still in question. We may also find some items we missed as we start consolidating and shifting collections from L1 to L2. Iron Mountain has also finished up their work in CHOM.
The major move of all Countway onsite building collections (special and general) are now complete. We still have the Ether painting, parking lot items, and the 5th floor fireplace/collections to deal with, but we knew these items need special handling. At that time, there should be minor disruption.
I want to thank everyone for their continued cooperation and assistance with various aspects of the move over these last several months. I know it has been a very stressful and difficult time for many of you, and with the completion of this aspect of the move, I hope you can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I strongly encourage everyone to take time this summer to refresh. We will be turning a new page in the fall to focus on other important and exciting projects.
Also on a positive note, the staff in HD are telling us they are on schedule. The general collection in HD will be removed by the end of the summer. Emily and Len are working on the protocol for moving the BML special collections out of HD beginning Labor Day week and finishing by the end of 2022. Meyers has been sending trucks to HD to transport the packed general collection items to South Street in Shrewsbury. We are waiting to hear from Tom if special collections from HD will also go to South Street or another warehouse. We started with Gen in HD knowing that the move was pretty straight forward, and it has gone as planned.
Emily and teams are working on compiling the final packing lists for CHOM items that were removed. There are thousands of items to be checked off against the original lists, verified as moved, and much data entry to create the final sheets. Thank you to the staff who have volunteered to help with this important project as well.
With Carla’s help, Matthew is overseeing the BiblioTemps and the LHTs as they work to consolidate the general collections to L2. They are also working on record clean up. These projects will help us prepare for the L1 renovation.
I know this has been a difficult time for Countway staff. However, the future for the library looks bright and we have many exciting projects and opportunities to look forward to. I hope to be using future weekly messages to highlight upcoming projects and services such as: the new information desk, the departmental showcases, L1 renovation updates, the resource fair, the re-designed Warren Anatomical Museum, and more.
As a reminder, we will be closed for business July 1st through July 4th (weekend included). Enjoy your time off.
Elaine