There was a fire in Zimmerman's periodical area on Basement Level 1 on April 30, 2006. At this time the incident is still under investigation. The reference area of Zimmerman reopened in January 2007. Considerable damage done by the fire, smoke, and water resulted in the complete demolition of the basement. The renovation will include replacement of all mechanical, electrical and network systems, installation of a new fire suppression system, construction of the group study rooms, instruction/computer lab, digitization center and new employee work spaces. Construction on the renovation began in May 2007 and was on schedule when, on October 31, there was a flood in the area. The damage caused by the flood required that, among other things, the newly installed walls and carpeting be replaced. As of January 7, 2008 most of the construction work had been completed and the carpet installation is underway.

We have yet to begin moving the 100K volumes and 250+ microform cabinets back into the basement but every effort is being made to accelerate the process as much as possible. The work units that are still displaced will also be re-settled during this library move-in phase of the recovery. We expect to reopen the basement during the spring semester.