The Agricultural Administration Building on Oct. 2. Credit: Hayley Beck
Renovations to the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences library are set to continue through Spring Semester, which might come as bad news to some who have been disrupted by the project.
The project is set to cost $3.8 million, said Administration and Planning spokesman Dan Hedman in a Friday email.
In March, The Lantern reported that the project was slated to cost $3.5 million.
Hedman did not immediately respond to a follow-up email after business hours Friday asking about the reason for the price increase.
The project is being funded by Agriculture Administration, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University Libraries and Student Life, Hinkle said.
The project, which began in March, is set to be completed by early 2015, according to an OSU website.
The upgraded facility will have a new cafe, five group study rooms, lounge seating, a quiet study area, a new elevator and a fireplace, said Craig Gibson, interim head of FAES library, in an email.
The space will also have updated lighting, finishes and furniture. It will showcase an open floor plan to allow for receptions and meetings, Hinkle said.
Increased space will hopefully encourage greater collaboration between students, faculty and alumni, she said.
As for the new cafe, it will be very similar to Crane Cafe in Hagerty Hall and will serve tea drinks, pastries and some sandwiches, Student Life spokesman Dave Isaacs said.
One student said though the new cafe won’t really affect him, he’s still excited about the new study spaces.
“I’m looking forward to having a newer, more local place to study on campus,” said Jarred Shellhouse, a second-year in agricultural communication and public affairs. “Being a CFAES student, we have a lot of nice places like the Chadwick Arboretum, but when it gets cold and you want to go to a quiet place, you have to travel back over to central campus.”
But one professor said the library construction has caused disruptions in the Agricultural Administration building.
Jamie Cano, an associate professor in the CFAES Department of Agricultural Communication, Education and Leadership, moved his data analysis class because of the interruptions.
“The vibrations of the drilling, pounding of the hammers and noise of the skid loader engines was not conducive for student learning,” Cano said.
In response, Cano moved his classroom to the opposite side of the building.
“The new classroom setup doesn’t work best for my class, but I would sacrifice that over the noise,” Cano said.
In the meantime, a temporary library has been established in Howlett Hall, which is about a mile away from the original library. That library is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The temporary location provides services to student and facility as the regular library would.
“We have been providing key services — circulation, reserves, interlibrary loan pickup, reference — at the Howlett Hall location without interruption,” Gibson said.
