In This Issue:
"Breath
of Life" Exhibition Opens
LOCATORplus
on the Web
Reading
Room, Rotunda Update
NGC
Web Site Goes Live
African-American
Health Issues, Voting Rights
Elizabeth
Blackwell, M.D.
Worthy
of Note
Louise
Darling Dies at 87
Lederberg's
Papers on "Profiles" Site
The
"Difficult Woman"
MLA
Time Capsule
HBCU
Explores Internet
Older
Adults and the Web
In Every Issue:
Names
in the News
Products
and Publications
NLM
in Print
|
Reading Room, Rotunda Area Refurbished
Major Overhaul Means Improved Customer Service, Greater
Technical Flexibility, and a Classier Ambiance
If you haven't visited the National Library of Medicine's
Building 38 since December, you may still harbor visions of
rust-colored carpeting, slightly antiquated fluorescent lighting and
computers that, while up-to-date, were sometimes in short supply,
leaving patrons to stand in line, awaiting access.
What a difference two weeks make. In a carefully plotted
blitzkrieg of activity that started just before Christmas and ended
just after New Year's, NLM's Reading Room and rotunda were given a
complete makeover for the new millennium. The areas were recarpeted
in a soft blue, raised floors were installed (allowing greater
flexibility of computer configurations for the Reading Room, and of
lighting and powering exhibitions in the rotunda), and
custom-crafted woodwork was put in place. The Reading Room saw a
transformation of its lighting system, too. And the increased
electrical capability enabled the Library to increase the number of
public computer workstations from 15 to 33. "Now, many more
simultaneous customers can search our new integrated online catalog,
LOCATORplus," noted the head of NLM's Reference Section, Pamela
Meredith.
NLM's Reading Room is used extensively by health professionals
and scholars from the local community, as well as many who come to
the Library from other parts of the country and abroad to make use
of the world's largest medical collection. In addition, document
delivery companies and students use the collection to obtain
articles they cannot obtain anywhere else. An average of 1,500 items
is requested from the closed stacks every day.
For about the past 20 years, the Library's patrons have used
terminals or computers to search the NLM catalog. Until the recent
renovation, each reorganization of Reading Room space and each
expansion of equipment and databases available to onsite users
required substantial work and a long lead time. Because of the
concrete flooring, moving or adding equipment required either
drilling through concrete or attaching wiring to posts. According to
Betsy Humphreys, Acting Associate Director for Library Operations,
"The new raised flooring provides the flexibility we need to respond
quickly to new user requirements in the main Reading Room and to
reconfigure power and network connections for the interactive
components of new historical exhibitions." Plans for adding dozens
of computers over the next few years would simply not be feasible
without raising the floor for practical wire management.
Overall project manager for this effort was Theodore Youwer,
Chief of NLM's Office of Administrative Management Services.
"Planning for this operation actually started in late 1997," he
explained. "We worked with an architect, who guided us not only in
planning the best use of our space but in meeting ADA [Americans
with Disabilities Act], safety and other requirements."
"We also collaborated with Lou Storey, a New York designer who
has worked with NLM on several recent exhibitions," Youwer
continued. "Lou helped us with color selections and the overall
look. And of course we had to coordinate closely with many NLM
staffers, including Kris Scannell and Ken Niles in the Reference
Section, who oversaw the rearrangement of the Reading Room."
"There were many logistical considerations for this project,"
noted Ken Niles, Onsite Coordinator for the Reading Room. The many
bookcases and their contents had to be removed, along with the
existing computer workstations. The photocopiers, which handle
approximately $30,000 in transactions each month, had to be
carefully unhooked and moved, so that the monetary value on each
could still be read.
"We knew up front, when planning to do this, that we'd have to
shut the Library down," Ted Youwer noted. "But we wanted to do it as
briefly as possible, so as not to inconvenience our visitors. I had
orders from Library Operations and [NLM Director] Dr. [Donald A.B.]
Lindberg that the whole thing should last two weeks, tops. It was
finally agreed that the last part of December and early January was
a relatively quiet time that would be optimal for the project."
Youwer then met with a general contractor, Brown and Root
Services Corporation of Bethesda, Maryland. Reference Section head
Pam Meredith was also intimately involved in the planning of this
ambitious project. And two of Youwer's assistants, Alvin Harris and
David Osborne "worked hand in glove with me to make sure it all came
together on time," explained the Chief. "We had many things to think
about, including security and other Library policies - things Brown
and Root didn't know about but needed to understand," continued
Youwer. "And we had to huddle closely with staff from OCCS [NLM's
Office of Computer and Communications Systems], because besides
changing our electrical wiring in the Reading Room, we were
installing LAN [Local Area Network] drops and telecommunications
drops, to give us state-of-the-art technical capability."
The raised flooring (which has the springiness of an aerobics
studio floor) is one of the biggest changes in the remodeled area.
The existing 20" thick concrete floor has been covered with a layer
of 18" x 18" carpeted plastic tiles (much like Lego building blocks)
that stand 3.5" high. Without the help of any special equipment,
this raised flooring can be taken up anywhere on its surface, and
the wiring, which runs between concrete and carpet, reconfigured.
(Previously, if the wiring in the Reading Room or rotunda needed
changing, holes had to be drilled in the concrete floor - not an
easy proposition.)
"I don't care what the communications or LAN wiring technology is
-- broad-band cabling, fiber optics or anything. We can put it under
that floor," Ted Youwer told NEWSLINE. "And when it comes to
telecommunications, we can add as many circuits as we choose. This
should give us unlimited options and give the Reading Room and
exhibition area a new lease on life."
"When I first thought about this plan, I had nightmares," laughed
Ted Youwer. "But we're all very pleased with the outcome. No
question, the place looks updated and airier, and we are able to add
to and improve our services to the public."
In addition, the project came in on time (actually, slightly
ahead of schedule) and on budget, which is music to any taxpayer's,
or project manager's, ears. "I think the extensive effort we spent
upfront on planning paid big dividends when the work got underway.
Many people were involved in the project and they all did their work
well," said Ted Youwer, with the satisfied smile of a general whose
troops have just waged a successful campaign.
Ken Niles of the Reference Section concurs. "In spite of the many
hours of extra effort on the part of staff, my impression is that
both staff and NLM visitors find the new work environment much more
pleasant and inviting. I, for one, am proud of the outcome of our
group effort - something that is not always clear when you are in
the middle of a big project!"
Caption: These "during" and "after" shots
capture the dramatic transformation of the NLM Reading Room and
exhibition area. Color photographs of the process can be viewed on
the NLM web site by going to
/about/renovation.html, and selecting the link
to before-and-after photos. |