The college's regular library on Lafayette Street was closed last October after safety concerns were raised by engineers.
(David Kamerman/Globe Staff)
SALEM
Right now it's mothballed warehouse space where birds sometimes flit among the rafters. Soon, however, the empty space on Salem State College's Central Campus will function as the school's library.
The college's regular library on Lafayette Street was closed in mid-October after structural safety concerns were raised by engineers examining the aging building for renovation. Built in 1969, the facility had been plagued by leaks that threatened some of the library's 318,000 bound volumes.
Salem State officials had hoped to reopen the library last month but recently decided that wouldn't be possible. They now expect the library will remain closed through at least the end of the year.
"Once they got into probing and inspecting the structure, the more they realized they need to do more probing and analysis," spokeswoman Karen Cady said last week. "It just became very apparent that this wouldn't be concluded by the time school opened up in September, and the number one priority was to have a fully functioning centralized library facility by September."
Salem State president Patricia Maguire Meservey detailed plans for the temporary library in a Feb. 20 letter to the college community.
"Since a library is a key component in the delivery of our academic mission, it is imperative that we have a functional, centralized, accessible library by the start of classes this coming fall," Meservey wrote in the letter, which is posted on the college's website. "We have determined that the only viable location, given this schedule, is in unoccupied and unfinished space in our main building on Central Campus."
The 20,000-square-foot, two-story space, which is near the college's mail and shipping facility on Loring Avenue, is expected to house, among other things:
In her letter, Meservey makes clear the new library facility is only a temporary solution, though officials expect to use the facility for approximately three years.
"We are keenly aware that the relocation of the library to Central Campus does not address nor satisfy all of our current critical space needs," she wrote. "Please know that relocating and reuniting the various services and faculty offices that have been disrupted is a major concern and priority."
Still, the temporary facility will take some pressure off the college, Cady said.
"This is going to allow us more time to be thorough as to the decisions of what happens to the [regular library] building on Main Campus but, at the same time, not jeopardizing what our students need," Cady said.
Since the regular library's shuttering, Salem State students have relocated to study areas in other buildings and library functions have been dispersed to facilities around campus, including the Ellison Campus Center. Those who have needed to borrow books were able to use their library cards at other state colleges and public libraries.
"I think we've done a wonderful job basically deconstructing the library in order to get along the last several months," said Susan Cirillo, the dean of library, instructional, and learning support. "But we really do need a centralized library facility while we explore the options for the future and our students really miss having everything together . . . the study space and the books."
As for the library's fate, Cady said she wasn't sure it would return to its old function after renovations are complete. If that is the case, she said, another use would be found for the building.
In the same letter about the temporary library, Meservey said college officials had received a report analyzing the feasibility of building a new Central Campus residence hall that would house about 400 students.
Few details were available. Cady said the dorm is much needed.
"We, right now, only house 25 percent of our students," Cady said. "If we opened another residence hall tomorrow, it would be filled tomorrow. Build it and they will come."
Erin Ailworth can be reached at eailworth@globe.com.
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