Originally published in Synapse on September 13, 1990.
After 10 years of planning and three years of construction, the new UCSF library opened on Monday, Sept. 10. The removal of the blue barricade on Parnassus provided instant relief —and it is hoped that the building will provide the same for everyone who endured the cramped and confusing confines of the previous facility.
Library officials caution, however, that the new library is still a “work in progress” and that finishing touches on both the building itself and the services within it will not be completed for some time.
For those new to the campus, a brief answer to the question “Why a new library?” may be in order. Librarian Jaqueline Wilson offers this summation: “We simply ran out of space in the old facility; the number of users and the size of the collection had totally outgrown it. Also, that building did not have the electrical wiring needed for the kind of computer systems essential for a modern library.”
The new facility was funded with $25 million from the state of California, and an additional $10 million raised by UCSF from a wide variety of sources, including alumni and former patients.
The UCSF generated funds, said Wilson, allowed for the addition of some special features such as custom furniture, an Oriental garden, and special rooms such as one she says, “reminds me of an old private gentlemen’s’ country club, it’s so deluxe inside.”
The five-floor structure provides 120,000 square feet of space — approximately three times more than the old library. Some 500 people can find seating in the numerous alcoves and group study rooms. There are 54 public computer terminals and an entirely new on-line computer system known as Galen.
This system incorporates the existing Melvyl search system and renders the card catalog obsolete; there is no card filing system in the new library at all. Terminals for Galen are found on every floor and more will be added.
“The Galen system is the beginning of the complete automation system in the library and will be expanded and improved as we go along,” said Wilson.
Other new features include 16 self-serve photocopiers spread over all five floors, and a central copy center with an in-house cashier — another significant improvement over the past, as those who were sent searching for change can attest. On the second floor, a new media center incorporates the old self-instruction center for viewing videotapes and has a range of personal computers for word processing and other uses.
The library was constructed as a “scaled” building in order to maintain a controlled internal environment, meaning that windows do not open to the outside, and there is no access to the outside terraces. Questioning the choice of this design in temperate San Francisco, a group forming a Library Environmental Health
Committee, which is now meeting weekly to monitor the issue.
“The Environmental Health and Safety department will be taking air samples throughout the building for the first year, and has been available to employees to answer any questions,” said Gail Banish, library administrative analyst and a member of the committee.
“The way we understand it, there’s nothing to be afraid of, but we want to monitor everything to alleviate any fears.”
Wilson defends the design on two counts.
“The heating and air system is designed lo maintain a pleasant and comfortable environment in the building, and to keep dust and dirt out of the materials. Our books and journals are deteriorating at an incredible rate and this may slow that problem.”
Wilson herself enjoys the new building.
“I haven’t heard anyone on our staff voice any complaints since we’ve been here. When there was a small problem it was when there was sandblasting going on. The air feels fresh and clean in here.”
Wilson hopes that users will abide by the “no food or drink” policy, which the staff will be enforcing more strictly than in the past.
“Eating and drinking really docs do damage, and we don’t have the staff to clean it up. There were a lot of complaints about sticky seats and so on from users in the past.”
Interest in the new library is running high, and over 750 of the 1,000 maps made available on opening day were gone by noon. Library personnel are conducting frequent tours and are available at the front desk to answer new users’ questions.
“Most libraries close for a week or two when they move, but we only closed for two days,” said Wilson on Monday, Sept. 10. “We’ve still got a lot of work to do, but we’re up and running.”
