The Henry Madden Library will be closed Tuesday until 3 p.m. during the initial installation of the outer walls of the new building on the east side, close to the current library entrance.

In addition, the popular walkway between the library and the University Center will also be closed but for a longer period. During the installation process, this walkway will be inaccessible from today through Friday, Sept. 21.

Library project manager Sara Wallet said it would take about five days to erect the new walls on the library̢۪s south and east sides, with the project expected to be finished by Monday, Sept. 24.

It won̢۪t be safe for anyone to pass by those areas during the installation, Wallet said.

Construction workers with flags will be around to assist passers-by “if there’s enough truck traffic to justify routing students and ensure safety,â€Â Wallet said.

A dozen pre-cast, 14-by-30-foot slabs of concrete being stored on flat-bed trailers in Lot Y, a gravel lot at the far northeast corner of campus, will become the new exterior of the expanded library once the installation is complete.

Although the walkway between the library and the University Center has become a common entry point to students and faculty coming in from the parking lots to the south, Wallet didn̢۪t foresee any big problems with the routing of foot traffic around the library site.

Students and others can walk between the University Center and Keats building for example, Wallet said, or any of numerous other north-south routes.

The library will reopen later on Tuesday at 3 p.m. and will remain open until 10 p.m. that day. Library hours will be extended until 10 p.m. today to help alleviate any inconveniences.

According to a bulletin sent to students, faculty and staff about the closure and construction this week, book check-out from the library should not be hampered. Books requested from the warehouse serving as a temporary storage facility can be picked up at the northwest entrance of the University Center on Tuesday until the library reopens at 3 p.m.

In addition, online reference services such as “Ask the Librarianâ€Â on the library’s Web page and via e-mail at will remain in operation throughout the week.

To further assist students and inform them of the library̢۪s closure, library kiosks will be set up in the Free Speech area and near Parking Lot D early in the week.