STEVENS POINT, Wis. — After two and a half years, Mindy King, the library director at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, has learned where almost every book is in the college’s temporary library.
“Thankfully, the collection remains usable to our patrons,” said King. “There was a period of time where we thought we would have to box it up and store it.”
In June 2023, UW-Stevens Point started tearing down Albertson Hall to make way for an entirely new library.
King said she worried that during this time, the books would not be available to students and the community.
That was until a temporary location was found just a town over in Plover, Wisconsin.
“All of the physical materials that were in Albertson Hall were relocated here. There are about 600,000 items,” said King.
Everyday students and community members can request books at UW-Stevens Point. Then King, along with help from her team, pack the books in a university van and deliver them to campus.
“We make the deliveries in the afternoon around 1 p.m.,” said King. “So, if you have requested it in the morning, there is a good chance you will get it that same day.”
Greg Marsicek is the director of planning and construction on the new library project.
He said Albertson Hall had structural issues, and the college found it was more cost effective to build a new building instead of renovating the old one.
He said the project is expected to be completed in late 2025 or early 2026.
“They have already enclosed the building largely in some glass as well as plastic over the windows so they can provide temporary heat for interior finishing,” said Marsicek.
Marsicek said from installing low flow fixtures to reduce water usage in the building to landscaping that requires low water usage, the environmental impact was one of the key factors the college had in mind during the building process.
“We have green roofs and tried to reuse various trees that were cut down throughout the property,” said Marsicek. “It also features, to the extent possible, locally sourced materials.”
He said the old library, which dated back to the 1960s, was known for its large sundial. He said that will be recreated.
“We are thinking about not just what we are doing right now and the students right now but the students 10 or 15 years from now and how we can adapt to the future,” said Marsicek.