Building Task Force
Facilities Subgroup Final Report
Findings
234,016 Square Feet across 5 Locations
JMU Libraries & Educational Technologies (L&ET) is housed in 2 main buildings,
Carrier (126,348 SF) and Rose (93,192 SF), as well as 3 satellite locations: Music
(3,127 SF), Educational Technology & Media Center (ETMC) (6,349 SF), and Offsite
Periodical Storage (5,000 SF). Carrier and Rose are managed and staffed by L&ET
employees with some non-L&ET occupants such as Center for Faculty Innovation
(CFI), Accessibility Services Labs, and Starbucks. The Music library is staffed by
L&ET but resides within in the School of Music. The libraries’ Juvenile/K-12
collection is neither housed nor staffed by L&ET, but rather from within the School
of Education in Memorial Hall. The first four spaces are university owned while the
last is a leased storage unit property 1 mile south of the main campus.
Carrier (formerly Madison Memorial) Library was built adjacent to the main
quadrangle in 1939 as the first stand-alone library building on campus. The
structure was designed to hold 80,000 volumes and seat 350. Increased enrollment
prompted additions in 1971, 1982, and 1994 when a 3rd floor was added.1 Rose
Library was built in 2008 to relieve overcrowding in Carrier, serve the sciences on
East Campus, and house the Q, R, S, and T call number ranges. The Music Building
was completed in 1989 with a small library area relegated to the basement. Shelving
was immediately reduced to accommodate utilities and a sprinkler system in the
ceiling, and the space has been overcrowded ever since. This thousand foot space
has seating for 40 despite serving 580 students + faculty + demands in General
Education classes.2 ETMC is housed in the 1967 addition of Memorial Hall (the
former Harrisonburg High School) which opened in 1920 and was expanded and
renovated in 1951, 1967 and 1994. The School of Education moved from Roop Hall
to its present location after JMU purchased the building from the city in 2006.3
With the exception of Rose, all other library spaces on campus are 25-75 years
old. Aging facilities present special challenges when dealing with deferred
maintenance and limited facilities budgets. Modern building codes; multiple heating,
ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems serving connected spaces; gaps in
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act; and re-purposed spaces never
designed for their current use all contribute to a dysfunctional building. One example
of the latter is Carrier 201 which was originally designed to be a light-filled periodical
reading room. 201 has since been retrofitted with a dropped ceiling that crowds the
arched Palladian windows. The space is filled with rows of 7-1/2' tall (non-ADA
compliant) book stacks that block the natural light and require an army of fluorescent
light fixtures. (Curiously, the fixtures are not set parallel to the aisles!) Neither light
source is good for the books, and the southern exposure ensures thermal heat gain and
further damage to collections during the day.
Numerous Facilities Challenges in Carrier:

ADA Compliance: A 2007 Handicapped Accessibility Study, State Project PC
#216-1681 prepared by RRMM Architects found Carrier inaccessible on
several fronts: parking, signage, counter and water fountain heights, handrail
extensions, outdated controls in the stack elevator, and no elevator access to
Stack 1A. Aisles and doorways in the A level stacks have clearance widths of
only 25-33" (Wheelchair accessibility dictates 36" routes in public spaces.)
The stacks are part of the load-bearing support of the building; their removal
or alteration would necessitate an engineering study.

Fire Safety: While sprinklers were added to the original stacks, most of the
public and work spaces in the 1939 and 1971 additions do not have
automatic fire suppression. To diminish risk, better laser detection and
alarms were added in 2010; however, suppression remains a
concern...particularly in areas like 201 which house copious amounts of
combustible material i.e. books.

HVAC: Chronic temperature and humidity swings are not good for people or
library collections. System shut-downs and extreme swings are particularly
egregious for sensitive collections such as film and vellum bound rare books.
In recent years, temperature and humidity readings in the building have
been recorded as high as 93*F and 69%rH. In the Summer of 2013, inside
temperatures stayed ABOVE 80*F from May 9 until June 25th. (70*F/45%rH
with some allowance for seasonal swings is an acceptable target range for
human comfort and collections storage.)

Lighting: Lighting and fixtures are inconsistent throughout the building.
Fluorescents predominate. Several lights with broken fixtures and exposed
bulbs are observed. A light study is recommended to balance areas of low
and excessive lighting. Task lighting for study tables, motion activated lights
in study rooms, and well-lit passageways would go a long way toward
improving safety and ambience as well as energy efficiency. LED lighting is
preferred to lower energy use.

Incompatible use: Interior stack levels 1A-5A were originally designed as
closed stacks. They now house study seating in addition to the original book
shelves. Human occupancy is not compatible with optimum set points for
library materials which require cool, dark and dry storage conditions. In
addition, food and drink permitted in stacks areas is counter-productive to
good pest management practices.

WIFI is inconsistent especially in the oldest parts of the building. The heavy
masonry, dense shelving and low concrete ceilings interfere with
transmission signals.

Electric: In a digital age when most students carry at least one mobile device,
there are never enough electrical outlets. The resulting daisy chains of
extension cords impeding emergency egress and increasing the electric load
on the facility are testament to the high demand. Spaces converted into staff
offices can result in semi-permanent impediments to egress when cubicles
and furniture do not align with existing outlets.

Flooring: Loose and chipped asbestos tile is commonplace in the basement
and A level stacks. Carpeting varies widely throughout the building in quality,
color, and condition which is not just an aesthetic consideration but an
egress and a branding issue. Color and floor covering choices could assist
with directional signage and help indicate quiet study areas vs. social spaces.
Wake Forrest used cork tile for: easy cleaning, noise barrier, and as a
transition from old to new space.

Pest Management: The basement area above the steam tunnels and
adjacent to a storm drain often clogged with debris, a dirt crawl space in the
westernmost portion of the basement, and a major downspout from the clay
tile roof that occasionally leaks into the basement corridor have created
habitat conducive to insects and other pests.

Signage: In an interview with Valerie Schoolcraft, JMU Accessibility Director,
she emphasized poor signage as an impediment to patrons with mobility
issues. The time and energy required to traverse a building in search of for
example, an accessible bathroom, a service point or resource, or even
wayfinding from a distant and hilly parking space all contribute to a climate
of exclusion.
Inspirations
Auroria, Grand Valley State, NC State, Sweet Brian, VCU, Virginia Museum of Fine Art
Library facilities built with generous light and flexibility built in such as the new
library at NC State and Sweet Briar College’s Cochran Library
http://www.vmdo.com/project.php?ID=83
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4DNsMQyqzU Allow visitors to begin their
journey in a transformative space like the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in
Richmond. Vistas and surprises beginning with the parking garage channel visitors
to a welcoming desk and into a big acoustically and visually beautiful atrium with
choices—turn left into the library or through to the galleries, or oh, the restaurant
goers on the 2nd floor are beckoning…
A modern library needs multiple and flexible meeting spaces. L&ET does not have an
event space (other than the very public Rose 3100 large enough for all employees to
attend.
The 3rd floor flex space at Rose can be disruptive to other activities in the building.
The auditorium of the VMFA has retractable seating making the space the epitome
of multi-purpose when scheduling is carefully balanced. During the Richmond field
trip, the seats were retracted and the large footprint of the room was being used to
repaint pedestals for an upcoming exhibition.
Stephen Bonadies, Director of Collections & Facilities at VMFA, strongly
recommends first having an engineering study budgeted into any
expansion/renovation project.
Vision
Bluestone and Glass
Return the historic 1939 structure as much as possible to its original grandeur while
bringing all of its bathrooms up to state building codes. Promote the historic
environs for special events and photo shoots. Close the original stacks to the public.
Add a fire exit access to 1A adjacent to the stacks elevator. Convert the A level stacks
to closed stacks for Special, Media, and Music Collections. Move all circulating
collections into the 1982 and 1994 additions of Carrier. Build a multi-story addition
on the north end of the building with an event venue and smaller meeting rooms
adjacent. Bring staff offices out of the basement and convert those spaces into
classrooms and group studies and practice spaces that do not require daylight.
Reclaim the cubicles of 209 for a grand public space and move Technical Services
into the north addition. Add gender neutral/family handicap accessible bathrooms.
Add creative space for yoga and Embodied Learning spaces4. Create a flexible staff
lounge with privacy rooms for nursing mothers, showers, and siesta spaces. Find a
strategic exterior location for smoking that does not impede entry for patrons with
asthma and particulate allergies. Build flexible instruction spaces and an event
space large enough to accommodate a growing workforce of 140+. Begin with a
comprehensive engineering study of the existing structure as recommended by
Stephen Bonadies, Deputy Director for Collections and Facilities Management at the
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
What could a new library look like? A new library will preserve the façade of the
original 1939 building and the axis of Robinson’s campus layout by creating a
prominent north entrance and addition in bluestone and glass filled with light and
space for productive students, faculty, and library employees. Situated on top of the
hill, the library would function as both a beacon and anchor for the Grace Street
Corridor and the campus.
The Breeze, “Renovation of Library Progresses on Schedule,” January 14, 1971: The
Breeze, “Comin’at ‘cha! Library addition set for post-break opening,” February 25,
1982; Daily News-Record, May 21, 1984; The Breeze, “Construction Behind Schedule
on Library Addition,” July 21, 1994.
2 Cockburn, Brian,“Space in the Music Library” September 20, 2004, updated 2014.
3 http://www.jmu.edu/centennialcelebration/major_buildings.shtml
4 McCarthy, Sean. “Designing Media Prototypes” Institute of Visual Studies
Colloquium James Madison University 15 April 2015
1
Special Collections
SC# RobinsonFramed2 RE 93-0427 image courtesy of JMU
Richmond architect, Charles Robinson’s original plan for the campus shows a library
on the main quadrangle. Madison Memorial Library was built 3 decades later on his
proposed site for the athletic fields.
SC# bmmlx018 image courtesy of JMU Special Collections
Robinson’s successor, John Binford Walford designed the original 1939 Madison
Memorial Library
SC# bmml03 Image courtesy of JMU Special Collections
FIVE
LOCATIONS
--233,186 SF
Facility Assessment
Carrier, Rose, Music, Offsite Storage, ETMC
(should be 234,016 SF)
Flooring
Facility Assessment
Chipped asbestos tiles and damaged carpet
Electrical
Facility Assessment
Exposed wiring, creatively draped wires…
Environmental
Facility Assessment
Standing water, ceiling leaks, overcrowding (emergency egress hallway used for
storage) uninvited guests
Lighting
Facility Assessment
Broken lighting fixtures, dark reading areas, poorly emergency exits, windows with
peeling UV film…
McCarthy, Sean. “Designing Media Prototypes” Institute of Visual Studies
Colloquium James Madison University 15 April 2015
4