A leak from a third-floor drinking fountain sent water through parts of Davis Library on Sunday, damaging books and dampening carpets and walls.

As of Monday morning, parts of the first, second and third floors and the lower level remained closed for drying and recovery operations. Many public computers in the information commons area of the first floor have been moved and are being tested for damage.

Patrons are asked to remain out of closed areas in order to help facilitate recovery. Additional leaks or damage may be reported to the Circulation Desk on the main floor.

Updates will be posted here as more information becomes available about the extent of damage and the expected clean-up operations.

UPDATE: On the second floor: the reading area with the basketball photos is open for use, as are tables on the east and west ends of the floor, and the instructional labs in rooms 246 and 247. Follow signage to access these areas. Power is not available at many of the tables.

We expect clean-up to last for several weeks at least. Workers will remove and dry carpet and will need to replace drywall in several areas. Fans must remain running until everything is dry, in order to prevent mold growth. We apologize for the inconvenience.

UPDATE: Odum Institute construction will begin Monday, Feb. 11.

Construction will begin in Davis Library in early February to prepare office, computing, and teaching space for the Odum Institute for Research in Social Science. The Institute will relocate in 2013 from Manning Hall.

Demolition and construction are likely to cause noise and disruption throughout the semester on the southeast corner of the library’s second floor, possibly carrying to other areas. Access to library materials and computers will not be affected. Most seating on the second floor will remain accessible.

The Library is coordinating with contractors to minimize disruption. Work will generally end by 7 p.m. to permit quiet evening study. No work will take place during high-use periods, such as mid-terms and finals.

The move builds on existing close relationships between the nation’s oldest social science research institute and the Library. The organizations offer complementary services and instruction in areas such as geographic information systems and data management services. Researchers in many disciplines regularly consult with staff from both organizations.

For questions related to the construction or relocation, contact Carol Hunter, Associate University Librarian for Collections and Services: cfhunter@email.unc.edu or (919) 962-1301.

Meg Tuomala

Meg Tuomala, Electronic Records Archivist

Meg began Dec. 1, 2012, as Electronic Records Archivist in the University Archives and Records Management Services.

Meg will lead efforts within the Archives to manage and preserve born-digital materials, and will assist other special collections units at UNC in doing so. She will also support UNC faculty, students, and staff in depositing digital materials into the Carolina Digital Repository (CDR), and will work with other library staff to define and implement repository policies, workflows, and capabilities.

Meg was most recently Digital Archivist at the University Archives of Washington University in St. Louis. She worked previously at UNC as the Records Service Archivist.

She holds an M.S.L.S. and a B.A. in Comparative Literature and Romance Languages from UNC.

Contact Meg: (919) 962-6402 or mtuomala@email.unc.edu.

Kirill Tolpygo

Kirill Tolpygo, Librarian for Slavic and East European Resources

Kirill began Jan. 1 as Librarian for Slavic and East European Resources.

He will build collections of Slavic and East European resources and will develop and deliver reference, outreach, and instructional services to faculty and students. He will also serve as Curator of the André Savine Collection.

Kirill most recently held this position in an interim capacity, before which he was a cataloger for the Savine Collection.

He holds an M.L.S. and a M.A. in linguistics from the University at Buffalo and a B.A. in linguistics from Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Contact Kirill: (919) 962-3740 or ktolpygo@email.unc.edu.

Danianne Mizzy

Danianne Mizzy, Head of Kenan Science Information Services

Danianne began Jan. 7 as the Library’s first head of Kenan Science Information Services.

Leading a team of librarians, she will provide coordination of information services for faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates in the sciences and vision for the development of innovative approaches to e-science and data management. She will also collaborate with staff at the UNC Health Sciences Library to build strong interdisciplinary science collections and services.

Danianne’s prior positions include Engineering Librarian at the Monell Engineering Library at Columbia University and  Director of the Ewell Sale Stewart Library and Archives at The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University in Philadelphia.

She holds an M.L.I.S. from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.F.A. in design from the Yale School of Drama, and an A.B. in International Relations from Brown University.

Contact Danianne: (919) 962-1188 or mizzy@email.unc.edu.

The R.B. House Undergraduate Library has partnered with UNC Academic Advising and Campus Health Initiatives for Students’ Emerging Lifestyles (CHISEL) to create the “Week of Balance.” Other campus libraries will also offer special exam-time diversions.

Below is the full schedule for Fall 2012. Campus libraries will offer extended hours for reading and exam days.

Good luck with exams, everyone!

Thursday, Dec. 6

• Therapy dogs for students: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. (212 Undergraduate Library)* and 12:30 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. (268 Carroll Hall)
• Take a Break; Make a Book!: 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. (Davis Library 1st floor)
• Winter Stories for children of all ages: 5 p.m. (Wilson Library)
• Free coffee: 6 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. (Music Libary)
• Meditation led by Linda C. Chupkowski: 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. (205 Undergraduate Library)*
• Coffee and snack break: 10 p.m. – Midnight (205 Undergraduate Library)*

Friday, Dec. 7

• Crafting: Learn to Knit: 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m. (Sloane Art Library)
• Learn to Make a Small Book: 3 p.m. – 4 p.m. (Sloane Art Library)
• Free coffee: 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. (Music Library)

Saturday, Dec. 8

• Free tea: Noon – 6 p.m. (Sloane Art Library)

Sunday, Dec. 9

• Free tea: 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. (Sloane Art Library)
• Crafting: Holiday Cards: 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. (205 Undergraduate library)*

Monday, Dec. 10

• Crafting: Gingerbread Houses: 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. (205 Undergraduate Library)*

Tuesday, Dec. 11

• Project Sunshine: Card making for children with medical challenges: 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. (205 Undergraduate Library)*

Wednesday, Dec. 12

• Therapy dogs for students: Noon – 4 p.m. (268 Carroll Hall)

* Denotes an official “Week of Balance” event, sponsored by Campus Health Initiatives for Students’ Emerging Lifestyles (CHISEL), UNC Academic Advising, and the R.B. House Undergraduate Library.

On Dec. 6 from 1 to 3 p.m., preservation staff will show you how to make a small pamphlet that you get to keep. All materials are provided. The whole process takes about ten minutes.

Look for the table in the periodicals room, to the right as you enter Davis Library.

For more information, contact Susan Griffin in the Preservation Department: (919) 962-1324, griffins@email.unc.edu.

Download flier (pdf)

Update: This year’s total: 2,650 2,870 books. Thank you, everyone!

For the fourth consecutive year, UNC’s libraries are partnering with campus departments to collect children’s books for the Book Fairy, an organization that donates books to the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at UNC Hospitals.

The drive will run Nov. 2 through Dec. 6, 2012. All new or gently-used books for ages one through mid-teen are welcome. The need is especially great for English and Spanish-language board books, the sturdy picture books made for young children. Also needed are books featuring children and families of many cultures.

Friends of the Library will wrap up the drive by accepting donated books at the annual Winter Stories program on Thursday, Dec. 6, at 5 p.m., in the lobby of Wilson Library.

The Bull’s Head Bookshop will offer a 25 percent discount on children’s books purchased for donation to the book drive. At the time of purchase simply mention the phrase “Book Fairy” to the staff.

Campus drop-off locations

• Davis Library lobby
• Undergraduate Library lobby
• Wilson Library lobby
• Health Sciences Library, 1^st floor lobby
• Law Library
• School of Information and Library Science, Manning Hall lobby
• School of Education, Peabody Hall, Student Affairs Office lobby, 1st floor
• School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building lobby
• FedEx Global Education Center, Peacock Atrium
• N.C. Memorial Hospital, Cashier, ground floor

The book drive is sponsored by the University Libraries Diversity Committee, the Health Sciences Library, the Law Library, the School of Information and Library Science, the School of Education, the School of Social Work, the FedEx Global Education Center, and the UNC Hospitals.

For information about the drive, contact Shauna Collier at (919) 843-5808 or Eileen Heeran Dewitya at (919) 962-6901.

Related Links

• The Book Fairy website
• List of suggested titles
• Library Launches Third Book Drive for Pediatric Cancer Patients

Download a list of tours (pdf)

Hit the library before you need to hit the books! Free library tours during the week of Aug. 20 will help you get started with research and assignments.

Tours meet in the main lobby of each library.

Undergraduate Library

• Monday, Aug. 20: 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, and 3 p.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 21: 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 22: 10 a.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 23: 3 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 24: 11 a.m.

Davis Library

• Monday, Aug. 20: 10 a.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 21: 10 a.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 22: 3 p.m.
• Thursday, Aug. 23: 2 p.m.
• Friday, Aug. 24: noon

Wilson Library

• Monday, Aug. 20: 9 a.m.
• Tuesday, Aug. 21: 11 a.m.
• Wednesday, Aug. 22: noon
• Thursday, Aug. 23: 10 a.m.
• Friday, Aug. 24: 1 p.m.

Can’t make it to a tour? Be sure to check out the Library’s online tutorials to learn more about starting research, evaluating information, and avoiding plagiarism.

Have a great year, everyone!

Microforms will relocate to the lower level of Davis Library.

The Microforms Collection will relocate from the second floor to the lower level of Davis Library. Moving will begin on Monday, Aug. 6, and will continue for approximately one week.

The move will transfer Davis Library’s entire collection of microforms—along with microform reader/printers and scanners—to the lower level. During the move period, the Microforms Collection will be unavailable for use.

Noise and activity may cause temporary disruptions on the second and first floors. The upper floors of Davis Library will continue to offer quiet study space throughout the summer.

Future access to the collections will be via sign-in at the Reference Desk on the main level.

For questions regarding the microforms transfer project, please contact Beth Rowe, Federal Documents Librarian: blr@email.unc.edu, (919) 962-1151.

Latest Updates

June 4 – 5: Carpet cleaning

June 6: Furniture installation begins

The second floor of Davis Library will soon be a more inviting place to work and study, thanks to an improvement project now under way. The project is a collaboration between the Library and UNC’s Information Technology Services (ITS).

During the project, the Library will:

• Consolidate the book collection on the second floor and open additional seating space;
• Deep clean the carpet;
• Increase the number of outlets and data drops;
• Add soft seating and booth seating;
• Add new computing tables and large display screens for use with laptops.

Work began in late May and will last approximately one month. Noise and activity may cause temporary disruptions on the second and first floors. The upper floors of Davis Library will continue to offer quiet study space throughout the summer.

For budget reasons, ITS will no longer operate a computer lab on the third floor of Davis Library. Instead, ITS has provided one-time funding for the new laptop-friendly furniture that will be installed on the second floor.

Davis Library will also add 20 former ITS computers to the first and second floors, and two printing stations, integrating them with existing computing and print operations.

Fresh paint, reconfigured furniture, and soft seating on the third floor will transform the former lab space into a comfortable spot for study and laptop use.