The College still lacks $5 million dollars for the Webster Hall renovation project. But the remaining money needs to be raised in the next six months, or construction of the new Berry Library will begin despite Special Collections remaining in the Baker Library building, said Gordie DeWitt, director of Facilities Planning.
If forced to build Berry Library before Special Collections is moved to Webster Hall, the College "might have to move some materials out of the library into remote storage," DeWitt said.
Only $100,000 has been raised in the last three months to fund the $10 million Webster Hall renovation project, according to data from the Office of Major Gifts.
Director of Major Gifts Paul Sheff is still hopeful the money will be donated and the Webster renovation can continue as scheduled. "We are continuing to talk with other people whose gifts would be significant while not naming the collection," Sheff said. "Anything can happen ... but I am hopeful this will be successful."
The Office of Facilities Planning "would need to get the go ahead [to renovate Webster] between now and the fall in order to get it done before the start of Berry," DeWitt said.
Special Collections needs to be moved out of Baker Library in order to give the construction crews room to move while they are building the Berry addition, DeWitt said.
Ideally, the construction of Berry Library would not begin until Special Collections is moved into Webster Hall, but Webster must first undergo a 14-month renovation so it can be properly equipped to hold the old books and manuscripts.
John Crane, director of administrative services in Baker Library, said Moving Special Collections to Webster Hall "continues to be a very important part of the overall plan for library expansion."
Webster Hall was supposed to be renovated in 1994, but the renovations have been pushed back for two years.
It is important that Special Collections be moved out of Baker in order to facilitate the overall library expansion.
Construction of Berry Library is scheduled to begin in 1998. John Berry '44 gave $25 million to the College in 1992 for the construction of a new, state-of-the-art library.
The renovation of Webster Hall and the construction of Berry Library is one major piece of the first stage of the College's North Campus expansion plan, which also includes the construction of a new psychology building and the conversion of the now-demolished old Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital into a parking lot.
The entire first stage of the north campus expansion plan, including the finished Berry Library, is scheduled to be completed in 2000.
