One million books and counting — the entire Henry Madden Library collection will be on the shelves and ready for checkout at the grand opening on Feb. 20.
When the library remodel project began in 2005, the collection was moved to a warehouse in south Fresno and the online reserve system was put into place.
This arrangement allowed students, faculty and staff to research online and reserve the books they wanted through ALIS, the library̢۪s search engine.
Library staff then pulled the requested items from the warehouse and transported them to campus to be picked up.
Organization key
According to David Tyckoson, associate dean for the library, it took two and a half months to move the collection out of the library but only 19.5 days to move them back in during this past summer.
“You can move them fast but keeping them in order makes it challenging,â€Â Tyckoson said.
The books that people have reserved online have been coming from the new library since July but it has been difficult because of the construction.
Tyckoson said the collection, comprised of more than one million books, will be organized and ready to go for opening day. The shelves also have room for 20 years of growth.
Library Assistant Chris Ebert was the warehouse manager and also oversaw the move.
Now, he will work to maintain the collection in the new library.
He said keeping the books organized is a matter of training the library staff and informing users on the correct checkout, pulling and re-shelving processes.
“As long as you keep it up, it is pretty self sustaining,â€Â Ebert said.
Accessing books
Tyckoson said people wanting to check out books now have two options. “We’re not going to take the request system away,â€Â he said.
“[People] can continue to use the reserve system or they can come directly to the library and get their books immediately.â€Â
Jennifer Phillips, who began attending Fresno State in 2005, has not had a library for most of the time she has been in college.
“I will go straight to the library to get my books now that I finally can,â€Â she said.
Tyckoson said he expects undergraduate students to come directly to the library to get their books, but faculty and graduate students to continue to use the reserve system.
“Some faculty like the ability to reserve. Others are dying to get into the library to browse for books,â€Â Tyckoson said.
He said that the reserve system offers convenience for graduate students who are only on campus a couple days a week because they can do research from home and pick up the books at their convenience.
Even though all the books will be on campus now, the one day turnaround time will stay the same.
The only difference is that books will be now be available seven days a week.
“If you don’t want to worry about finding the book yourself, you can still reserve it online and pick it up the next day,â€Â Tyckoson said.
“We want to give people the option to get it immediately or reserve it the way they are used to.â€Â
dw • Feb 26, 2009 at 12:38 pm
gm–actually Californians have caused the budget crisis. They demand government services, endless services, and then don’t want to pay the bill. Until the citizenry comes to grips with this, we will continue to have problems. Of course, this wonderful economy, created by the Republicans’ cronies on Wall Street and in the banking industry, didn’t help either. And, when California cities and counties became almost entirely dependent on sales tax to finance services, the seeds for disaster were planted and they sure have spouted in full bloom.
Fresno State’s enrollment has been the highest in years. I haven’t seen the decline you claim. However, enrollment will have to be cut 10 percent next year. The funds spent to replace an obsolete building could not be used in the way you suggest, to lower fees, hire faculty or expand class offerings. If you have a problem with how the money was spent, don’t complain to campus administrators, complain to the voters because they’re the ones who determined how the bond money could be spent.
dw • Feb 26, 2009 at 7:38 pm
gm–actually Californians have caused the budget crisis. They demand government services, endless services, and then don’t want to pay the bill. Until the citizenry comes to grips with this, we will continue to have problems. Of course, this wonderful economy, created by the Republicans’ cronies on Wall Street and in the banking industry, didn’t help either. And, when California cities and counties became almost entirely dependent on sales tax to finance services, the seeds for disaster were planted and they sure have spouted in full bloom.
Fresno State’s enrollment has been the highest in years. I haven’t seen the decline you claim. However, enrollment will have to be cut 10 percent next year. The funds spent to replace an obsolete building could not be used in the way you suggest, to lower fees, hire faculty or expand class offerings. If you have a problem with how the money was spent, don’t complain to campus administrators, complain to the voters because they’re the ones who determined how the bond money could be spent.
gm • Feb 26, 2009 at 10:19 am
dw,
I certainly made heavy use of the old building, probably far more than the overwhelming majority of students on campus. However, doing something about the old library building does not require 105 million dollars when in the midst of financial crisis in which we are turning away students, raising fees and cutting classes. Again I’ll ask a simple question. Would we rather have a campus with big, fancy buildings overseen by highly paid administrators (for the sake of recruitment and retention of course!) but no students? Do we really believe that we can’t educate students otherwise?
As for furniture, again in the midst of fiscal calamity we opted for all new furniture (old stuff must have been a fire hazard). Poor Dr. Welty couldn’t even move into his new office. The horror of having to sit in his fancy new digs at his old desk. As for the budget, I’m certainly not going to defend the Republicans and their role in this crisis. To pretend that no taxes should be raised when you have a $42 billion dollar deficit is ridiculous. However, you also fail to mention the role of the Democrats who drive fiscal policy in this state and spend money like drunken sailors, proposing additional spending and opposing caps in the middle of the same deficit. There is plenty of blame to go around and partisans on both sides just can’t stand to take their share, can they dw?
Apparently dw, you need to reread Britneys’s hypothetical. She was suggesting that criticism of the decision to spend $105 million was tantamount to saying we should stop construction in the middle. Clearly that wasn’t the case and I chose to call that type of rhetoric what it is. It applies to your use of the same device as well.
Your right, there is a certain irony in an antiquated electrical system failing. it is found in the fact that the very same proposition monies that were used to build the library could also have been used to replace things like that system. Yes I do remember Pete Wilson, although I was unaware dw that he was solely responsible for the budget cuts. Silly me, I seem to remember a bunch of Democrats contributing to that as well. In light of these repeated cuts since the early 90’s, the Fresno State budget must be down to nothing. I mean nearly 20 years of reduction after reduction. How much smaller is the budget now than it was 20 years ago? Administrator pay must be comparable to say the local Walmart after all this cutting.
I’m also well aware of the master plan and the proposed new buildings. You say they will be built – if there is money. And that is my entire point dw. We don’t have the money right now and in the struggle for finite resources students, teachers and classes should take priority over buildings.
gm • Feb 26, 2009 at 5:19 pm
dw,
I certainly made heavy use of the old building, probably far more than the overwhelming majority of students on campus. However, doing something about the old library building does not require 105 million dollars when in the midst of financial crisis in which we are turning away students, raising fees and cutting classes. Again I’ll ask a simple question. Would we rather have a campus with big, fancy buildings overseen by highly paid administrators (for the sake of recruitment and retention of course!) but no students? Do we really believe that we can’t educate students otherwise?
As for furniture, again in the midst of fiscal calamity we opted for all new furniture (old stuff must have been a fire hazard). Poor Dr. Welty couldn’t even move into his new office. The horror of having to sit in his fancy new digs at his old desk. As for the budget, I’m certainly not going to defend the Republicans and their role in this crisis. To pretend that no taxes should be raised when you have a $42 billion dollar deficit is ridiculous. However, you also fail to mention the role of the Democrats who drive fiscal policy in this state and spend money like drunken sailors, proposing additional spending and opposing caps in the middle of the same deficit. There is plenty of blame to go around and partisans on both sides just can’t stand to take their share, can they dw?
Apparently dw, you need to reread Britneys’s hypothetical. She was suggesting that criticism of the decision to spend $105 million was tantamount to saying we should stop construction in the middle. Clearly that wasn’t the case and I chose to call that type of rhetoric what it is. It applies to your use of the same device as well.
Your right, there is a certain irony in an antiquated electrical system failing. it is found in the fact that the very same proposition monies that were used to build the library could also have been used to replace things like that system. Yes I do remember Pete Wilson, although I was unaware dw that he was solely responsible for the budget cuts. Silly me, I seem to remember a bunch of Democrats contributing to that as well. In light of these repeated cuts since the early 90’s, the Fresno State budget must be down to nothing. I mean nearly 20 years of reduction after reduction. How much smaller is the budget now than it was 20 years ago? Administrator pay must be comparable to say the local Walmart after all this cutting.
I’m also well aware of the master plan and the proposed new buildings. You say they will be built – if there is money. And that is my entire point dw. We don’t have the money right now and in the struggle for finite resources students, teachers and classes should take priority over buildings.
dw • Feb 23, 2009 at 8:07 pm
gm, something had to be done about the old Madden Library building! I don’t know if you ever used the old building, but it had huge problems–especially the antiquated wiring that could not support all the technology. Anytime all the computers were turned on, half the building went dark. Can I say, fire hazard?
The student unhappy about the lack of furniture should be pleased to hear that new furniture should be in place in awhile–the Republicans refusal for months to reach a budget compromise created a situation where the library project was essentially stopped. The only reason the new Madden opened was that the campus was able to move some money around to finish the actual construction, but new furniture wasn’t doable. The “hypothetical” Britney posed that you called “phoney”, gm, almost came to pass.
There’s a certain irony in the power failure affecting the four buildings, including the new library. Seems the power system serving campus is 1950s vintage, obviously the victim of the deferred maintenance campus has had to do in the face of repeated budget cuts since at least the early 1990s–remember Pete Wilson? It would cost minimally $10 million to rebuild the system.
As for new buildings, they’re proposed. I urge you to seek out information on the proposed master plan, which would add many new buildings on campus in the next 20 years–if the money is available. Information about the master plan is available on the campus website.
dw • Feb 24, 2009 at 3:07 am
gm, something had to be done about the old Madden Library building! I don’t know if you ever used the old building, but it had huge problems–especially the antiquated wiring that could not support all the technology. Anytime all the computers were turned on, half the building went dark. Can I say, fire hazard?
The student unhappy about the lack of furniture should be pleased to hear that new furniture should be in place in awhile–the Republicans refusal for months to reach a budget compromise created a situation where the library project was essentially stopped. The only reason the new Madden opened was that the campus was able to move some money around to finish the actual construction, but new furniture wasn’t doable. The “hypothetical” Britney posed that you called “phoney”, gm, almost came to pass.
There’s a certain irony in the power failure affecting the four buildings, including the new library. Seems the power system serving campus is 1950s vintage, obviously the victim of the deferred maintenance campus has had to do in the face of repeated budget cuts since at least the early 1990s–remember Pete Wilson? It would cost minimally $10 million to rebuild the system.
As for new buildings, they’re proposed. I urge you to seek out information on the proposed master plan, which would add many new buildings on campus in the next 20 years–if the money is available. Information about the master plan is available on the campus website.
gm • Feb 23, 2009 at 7:41 pm
“Plans and construction began much before the budget crisis.”
Are serious? Are you ignorant of anything that happened prior to this week or deliberately lying? California was already in the midst of a severe budget crisis and has been since ever since. The decision was made to spend over 100 million dollars on a library expansion in the middle of budgetary crisis by people who continue to take huge pay increases while we are in an even more severe crisis now.
“I will reiterate again, though: the funds for the library came from a bond measure that was passed by voters. In other words, the money used for the library was mandated by voters to be used towards the library, not anything else.”
Proposition 55 was passed in 2004 (50.9% to 49.1%) and was for:
“This act provides for a bond issue of twelve billion three hundred million dollars ($12,300,000,000) to fund necessary education facilities to relieve overcrowding and to repair older schools.”
Nowhere in the text of the act was it stipulated that 105 million dollars was to be spent for a library at CSU Fresno. That decision was made by people who are now willing to throw students (higher fees, enrollment cuts), staff (no pay raises) and the public (higher taxes and reduced services) under the bus, apparently with the mindless, unquestioning support of people like Britney. To set up some type of phoney hypothetical that was not proposed (start building it then stop in the middle because of a budget crisis (that was already underway but you apparently didn’t want to know about), is to deliberately try and avoid the fundamental questions. Do we spend this kind of money on a library expansion in the midst of financial crisis? Are our priorities in order? Were there other necessary campus infrastructure projects that needed to be done but weren’t as “sexy” as a fancy library? (Like say several million dollars to replace the 1950’s era electrical system that went out today?) And do we simply spend over 100 million dollars because we can and then act like it really isn’t that much?
The time has come for everybody to prioritize. Some people seem to have a vision of our campus, filled with fancy buildings and high paid administrators. I’d like to see students, engaged with outstanding faculty, getting the challenging courses they need at prices that are not skyrocketing. I guess it’s just how you look at the situation and the options.
gm • Feb 24, 2009 at 2:41 am
“Plans and construction began much before the budget crisis.”
Are serious? Are you ignorant of anything that happened prior to this week or deliberately lying? California was already in the midst of a severe budget crisis and has been since ever since. The decision was made to spend over 100 million dollars on a library expansion in the middle of budgetary crisis by people who continue to take huge pay increases while we are in an even more severe crisis now.
“I will reiterate again, though: the funds for the library came from a bond measure that was passed by voters. In other words, the money used for the library was mandated by voters to be used towards the library, not anything else.”
Proposition 55 was passed in 2004 (50.9% to 49.1%) and was for:
“This act provides for a bond issue of twelve billion three hundred million dollars ($12,300,000,000) to fund necessary education facilities to relieve overcrowding and to repair older schools.”
Nowhere in the text of the act was it stipulated that 105 million dollars was to be spent for a library at CSU Fresno. That decision was made by people who are now willing to throw students (higher fees, enrollment cuts), staff (no pay raises) and the public (higher taxes and reduced services) under the bus, apparently with the mindless, unquestioning support of people like Britney. To set up some type of phoney hypothetical that was not proposed (start building it then stop in the middle because of a budget crisis (that was already underway but you apparently didn’t want to know about), is to deliberately try and avoid the fundamental questions. Do we spend this kind of money on a library expansion in the midst of financial crisis? Are our priorities in order? Were there other necessary campus infrastructure projects that needed to be done but weren’t as “sexy” as a fancy library? (Like say several million dollars to replace the 1950’s era electrical system that went out today?) And do we simply spend over 100 million dollars because we can and then act like it really isn’t that much?
The time has come for everybody to prioritize. Some people seem to have a vision of our campus, filled with fancy buildings and high paid administrators. I’d like to see students, engaged with outstanding faculty, getting the challenging courses they need at prices that are not skyrocketing. I guess it’s just how you look at the situation and the options.
Britney • Feb 20, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Plans and construction of the library began much before the budget crisis. Once the budget crisis hit, construction could have hypothetically stopped (and in this hypothetical situation Swinerton Construction doesn’t have a contract with the University), and all of the structure would have been damaged due to rain, because the roof would not have been up.
I guess it’s just how you look at the situation and the options.
I will reiterate again, though: the funds for the library came from a bond measure that was passed by voters. In other words, the money used for the library was mandated by voters to be used towards the library, not anything else.
Britney • Feb 20, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Plans and construction of the library began much before the budget crisis. Once the budget crisis hit, construction could have hypothetically stopped (and in this hypothetical situation Swinerton Construction doesn’t have a contract with the University), and all of the structure would have been damaged due to rain, because the roof would not have been up.
I guess it’s just how you look at the situation and the options.
I will reiterate again, though: the funds for the library came from a bond measure that was passed by voters. In other words, the money used for the library was mandated by voters to be used towards the library, not anything else.
gm • Feb 20, 2009 at 12:57 pm
I certainly think the library is great with lots of fantastic features and certainly more room. The distinction that some people and administrators seem to be missing is what is really important and necessary at a university. Certainly a library is essential. The question is, do we require a $105 million dollar one? Have we become that jaded that we are unable to grasp how much money that is? And isn’t it ironic that we are opening this edifice at the very same time that we are reducing the number of students admitted, raising the fees for those who are, and cutting back on classes and faculty. Britney, the people who are not in college for the right reasons are the ones who argue that buildings are more important than people.
gm • Feb 20, 2009 at 7:57 pm
I certainly think the library is great with lots of fantastic features and certainly more room. The distinction that some people and administrators seem to be missing is what is really important and necessary at a university. Certainly a library is essential. The question is, do we require a $105 million dollar one? Have we become that jaded that we are unable to grasp how much money that is? And isn’t it ironic that we are opening this edifice at the very same time that we are reducing the number of students admitted, raising the fees for those who are, and cutting back on classes and faculty. Britney, the people who are not in college for the right reasons are the ones who argue that buildings are more important than people.
Britney • Feb 20, 2009 at 8:25 am
Tonito,
I want to address your comments regarding how the Madden Library funding was not well-allocated. You discussed how you’d rather the money be spent on new classrooms. Did you know that there are several large lecture halls in the library to be used as classrooms? These will serve as excellent facilities for instruction, with plenty of seating for some of the larger classes the campus offers.
Also, the money that “you” and “I” spent on the project? Well, it was funded through bonds (paid through taxes by Californians who PASSED the bond measure through voting), in addition to a hefty endowment from Table Mountain Rancheria.
Tonito, if you think that the Madden Library is a waste of money, you’re not in college for the right reasons. The library does nothing but service and enhance the academic community at Fresno State–something you should value as a student here.
Britney • Feb 20, 2009 at 3:25 pm
Tonito,
I want to address your comments regarding how the Madden Library funding was not well-allocated. You discussed how you’d rather the money be spent on new classrooms. Did you know that there are several large lecture halls in the library to be used as classrooms? These will serve as excellent facilities for instruction, with plenty of seating for some of the larger classes the campus offers.
Also, the money that “you” and “I” spent on the project? Well, it was funded through bonds (paid through taxes by Californians who PASSED the bond measure through voting), in addition to a hefty endowment from Table Mountain Rancheria.
Tonito, if you think that the Madden Library is a waste of money, you’re not in college for the right reasons. The library does nothing but service and enhance the academic community at Fresno State–something you should value as a student here.
Google my Joystick, he said • Feb 20, 2009 at 12:07 am
So the library is allowing Starbucks drinks on the library floor because of the lack of space in the coffee shop itself? Funny how rules and restrictions are relaxed when it comes to branding and corporate agreements like that. Is Starbucks footing the bill for the damaged computers and books that will surely result from this new policy?
Google my Joystick, he said • Feb 20, 2009 at 7:07 am
So the library is allowing Starbucks drinks on the library floor because of the lack of space in the coffee shop itself? Funny how rules and restrictions are relaxed when it comes to branding and corporate agreements like that. Is Starbucks footing the bill for the damaged computers and books that will surely result from this new policy?
ryne • Feb 19, 2009 at 11:54 pm
tonito… caps lock, much??
i’ll have to disagree with you, i think the library is gorgeous! if you don’t like it, go find a different school that DOESN’T squander off money and attend that campus. i dare you. you’ll be eating your spiteful words when this budget mess gets all sorted out and the library gets furnished the way it should. you should feel so lucky to be admitted to fresno state. seeing what we’ve got right now makes me very hopeful for the future and i’ve never been prouder to be on this campus and having such an exquisite library with state-of-the-art offerings.
ryne • Feb 20, 2009 at 6:54 am
tonito… caps lock, much??
i’ll have to disagree with you, i think the library is gorgeous! if you don’t like it, go find a different school that DOESN’T squander off money and attend that campus. i dare you. you’ll be eating your spiteful words when this budget mess gets all sorted out and the library gets furnished the way it should. you should feel so lucky to be admitted to fresno state. seeing what we’ve got right now makes me very hopeful for the future and i’ve never been prouder to be on this campus and having such an exquisite library with state-of-the-art offerings.
Millard Fillsmore • Feb 19, 2009 at 8:36 pm
It’s a college campus—a library is still necessary. Some of us prefer looking through the pages of texts rather than sitting in front of a computer to finish an research assignment. It’s always been a part of the college experience and should remain part of that experience.
Millard Fillsmore • Feb 20, 2009 at 3:36 am
It’s a college campus—a library is still necessary. Some of us prefer looking through the pages of texts rather than sitting in front of a computer to finish an research assignment. It’s always been a part of the college experience and should remain part of that experience.
Tonito • Feb 19, 2009 at 12:19 pm
THIS LIBRARY SUCKS! ITS SO UGLY AND LOOKS LIKE A PRISON!…BESIDES THAT….THEY DONT EVEN HAVE NEW FURNITURE AND WHATEVER THEY HAVE IN THERE IS FROM THE OLD LIBRARY..HOW GETTO IS THAT?…LOL… I DONT AGREE TO THE FACT THEY SPENT SO MUCH MONEY ON THIS PROJECT…(YOUR MONEY AND MY MONEY) ….WHEN THEY COULD HAD BUILT MORE BUILDINGS, CLASSROOMS OR HIRED MORE STAFF TO OFFER MORE CLASSES TO STUDENTS!…COME ON PEOPLE….STOP WASTING OUR MONEY…IN CRAP..YES, WE STUDENTS NEED A LIBRARY BUT EVERYTHING NOW IS AVAILABLE ONLINE…AND WHY MAKE SUCH A THING WHEN STAFF ARE THE ONLY ONES TO ENJOY EVERYTHING ON CAMPUS….MOST OF EVENTS AND NEW STUFF IS NOT EVEN FOR STUDENTS….! ANYWAYS…THATS LIBRARY SUCKS…BIG TIME….
Tonito • Feb 19, 2009 at 7:19 pm
THIS LIBRARY SUCKS! ITS SO UGLY AND LOOKS LIKE A PRISON!…BESIDES THAT….THEY DONT EVEN HAVE NEW FURNITURE AND WHATEVER THEY HAVE IN THERE IS FROM THE OLD LIBRARY..HOW GETTO IS THAT?…LOL… I DONT AGREE TO THE FACT THEY SPENT SO MUCH MONEY ON THIS PROJECT…(YOUR MONEY AND MY MONEY) ….WHEN THEY COULD HAD BUILT MORE BUILDINGS, CLASSROOMS OR HIRED MORE STAFF TO OFFER MORE CLASSES TO STUDENTS!…COME ON PEOPLE….STOP WASTING OUR MONEY…IN CRAP..YES, WE STUDENTS NEED A LIBRARY BUT EVERYTHING NOW IS AVAILABLE ONLINE…AND WHY MAKE SUCH A THING WHEN STAFF ARE THE ONLY ONES TO ENJOY EVERYTHING ON CAMPUS….MOST OF EVENTS AND NEW STUFF IS NOT EVEN FOR STUDENTS….! ANYWAYS…THATS LIBRARY SUCKS…BIG TIME….