On what was a patch of concrete mere months ago, there is now a structure that will preserve collections for generations to come. The new Library Storage Annex isn’t just about having a better place to store precious materials. It addresses two essential and sometimes competing needs: preserving the past and serving the present.

The building itself, located on Middlebrook Pike about five miles from campus, tells the story of its function. On one side is a modest space that will be used for materials processing and other staff operations. The other side rises into the sky, taller than most of the nearby buildings, with 15,000 square feet designed to accommodate shelving systems that are 33 feet tall. The amount of shelving expected to fill the space is roughly the length of 456 football fields and is nine times more efficient for storing materials than the shelving in Hodges Library. The space will house the university’s archives, special collections, and materials of scholarly record that are sparsely held across the state and the nation. 

The high shelves will be reached with a cherry picker guided by magnetic wires cut into the floor—a system that requires the concrete to be perfectly level. After this exacting work was completed, steel framing brought the building into shape. The same degree of care has been mirrored back on campus: staff have been preparing for relocation of materials by ensuring that collections are properly organized, housed, and cataloged.

Construction of the annex is scheduled to be completed over the summer, followed by 10 weeks of shelving system installation. By late summer, library staff will begin relocating collections into the new climate-controlled space. As materials move into a facility engineered specifically for preservation, with equipment designed to safeguard against time and environmental stress, space will open up back in the heart of campus. The building is for materials, but the space it frees up is for students.  

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