I am pleased to announce that Bruce Peel Special Collections & Archives will reopen to the public on June 21, 2016 (Tuesday). Although the reopening has been a little delayed, we believe that the extra time needed to properly calibrate the newly installed mechanical system will be of tremendous benefit, since this will allow it to deliver required temperature and humidity readings throughout six levels of storage space.
The key components of the renovation include: newly constructed service corridors on all six floors; a coordinated smoke detection and fire suppression system; updated electrical and security systems; and a new mechanical system to maintain a stable and consistent atmosphere. No changes were made to the public areas of the library with the anticipated exception of new carpet. The renovation will increase the shelving capacity in Special Collections from 3400 to just over 9000 linear meters of shelving for rare and valuable materials. The extra storage capacity will give us years and decades to continue collecting materials with significant research potential.
On a final note, please be advised of the following service change:
All researchers (including students, faculty, visiting scholars, and members of the general public) must submit a Retrieval Request Form at least 24 hours before their visit in order to be sure that library materials have been retrieved from storage and are available for their use.Retrieval Request Form at least 24 hours before their visit in order to be sure that library materials have been retrieved from storage and are available for their use. For future reference, there are several links to the required form on our website. If you have any questions, please contact library staff at bpsc@ualberta.ca or call 780-492-5998.
Please have a look at our blog if you would like to see additional photos of the renovated tiers.
We look forward to welcoming you to Special Collections in the near future.
Best wishes,