Workers restore murals inside the Great Room of K-State’s Hale Library Thursday morning. The library suffered extensive water and smoke damage due to a roof fire on May 22. (Staff photos by Hailey McClellan)
Hale Library is still in recovery from the fire in May. According to the Dean of LIbraries, Lori Goetsch, the progress has been significant during this phase.
“We’ve got almost every floor emptied, except for the third floor of the library” Goetsch said. ” We’ve taken out over about 100,000 boxes of books.”
Once they get the building cleaned out Goetsch said they will begin the process of renovating the library. They expect the infrastructure work will not begin until October or November, and the remodeling phase will begin even later in the spring or summer. Hale library will not be open to faculty or students this academic year.
“We have been working vigorously on options for students,” Goetsch said. “We have a number of study locations identified around campus and we have put together an interactive map that is going out to students.”
This interactive map will give students the ability to find spaces with computers, printers, dry-erase boards and study spaces. There is an information desk in the Student Union that will be the library’s central point of help for students and faculty with their teaching and research.
Goetsch said that no one on the staff lost their job due to the fire, but have been relocated during the recovery and renovation process.
“It has been quite the journey, and I think it’s been like the loss of a good friend or family member,” Goetsch said. “This has been my home away from home for 14 years, I love this place, and to come in and see what had happened, I think, was really devastating for me and it’s been devastating for the staff.”
Goetsch said they’re looking forward to the renovations next year.
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