On May 3, we reported there would be no access to any study spaces on the fifth floor. Due to a delay in the delivery of some materials needed to complete the project, access to some of the study spaces on the fifth floor has now been restored until the carpeting work can resume.

The tables skirting the atrium hallways are now accessible again. The Archives and Special Collections Reading Room remains closed and will remain closed longer than we initially reported — we had expected it to reopen at the end of May. When it does reopen, the room will have fresh paint and carpeting. Soon after, it will also have some new and refurbished furniture.

In addition to the improvements in the Archives & Special Collections Reading Room and the new carpet in the atrium hallways, we have recently received confirmation that compact shelving for the Archives will be installed starting June 17. At that time, teardown of the old shelves will begin and in the interest of safety, the tables around the atrium hallway opposite the elevator will be inaccessible while this work is being done. The entire project is expected to take nine weeks. The compact shelving will increase our storage capacity in the Archives by over 30 per cent.

During the compact shelving work, there will be limited access to collections. Please continue to contact archives@dal.ca for service by appointment. We anticipate that at various points during the installation of the compact shelving there will be disruptive noise, mostly from drilling. We apologize for this inconvenience and suggest moving to a lower floor during those times.

We will post an update when the carpeting work resumes. At that time, the tables around the atrium will be temporarily removed once again.

We appreciate your patience as we work to improve our spaces and we look forward to welcoming you back to a refreshed fifth floor.