Many offices and services in the University Library will be moving floors this fall.

The changes were set to begin at the end of February, but in a meeting Friday, which included the executive committee and university architects, most changes were put on hold.

“Right now, we’ve submitted a request for proposal covering certain changes,” said James Bracken, dean of University Libraries. “The president and architects will then look it over.

“This isn’t a small change. There are a lot of details that we have to work out for this.”

Bracken estimates the office switches on the first floor alone will cost more than $1 million.

“Moving the library toward these changes is sort of like a domino effect,” said Mark Pike, assistant dean of administration for University Libraries. “When we move one thing, we have to find room to move another.”

Audio Visual Services, currently located on the third floor, will combine with the Circulation Desk on the first floor. The move will happen by the end of the semester even before any construction begins. Bracken said students will benefit from the extended hours.

Division of Information Services, currently located on the first floor by the elevator, will move out of the library. In its place will be the library administration, communications and software application support offices.

“The idea of having the library administration offices downstairs is to be more visible to students,” said Diana Sperko, marketing and communications director of University Libraries.

Moving most of the offices from the third floor will allow more space for the School of Library and Information Science, which currently occupies about a quarter of the floor.

The Student Multimedia Studio, now on the first floor, will move to the fourth floor and combine with the Writings Commons.

“It just makes sense to combine these two services,” Bracken said. He said both are services for students.

The second floor will house the Wick Poetry Center and the Math Emporium, scheduled to open in the fall. The journals and periodicals, currently on the second floor, will be moved to floors five, six and seven.

Bracken said he hopes to some day build a state of the art May 4 exhibit in a more dignified place in the library. The room is currently on the back eastern side on the first floor.

“The May 4 room is currently facing a parking lot with windows that look over some dumpsters and tucked away behind vending machines,” Bracken said. “It needs an appropriate recognition.”

Plans to put entrances on all four sides of the library are being proposed as well.

“Most of these changes won’t happen until middle of 2011,” Bracken said. “We’re very conscious about not disrupting the students in the library.”

Contact Cassandra Beck at [email protected].