Administrators Rededicate Widener

Two thousand gallons of paint and 55 miles of electrical cable wiring after Widener Library’s massive renovation effort began in 1999, top University administrators celebrated the project’s completion at a rededication ceremony Friday.

The five-year, $92 million project sought to modernize the flagship facility of the Harvard College Library system. Administrators trumpeted technological improvements and preservation of Widener’s 3.5 million book collection as the primary achievements of the renovations to the 89-year-old building.

University President Lawrence H. Summers hailed the project as a “remarkable accomplishment” in remarks at Friday’s ceremony.

“It is as good as the remarkable people who assure that the ideas...and texts that would have been lost to civilization instead sit comfortably on shelves to be discovered by scholars,” he said.

Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby also praised the renovations in a brief speech Friday.

This past summer, the final phase of the Widener renovation project was completed. But visible construction still remains, blocking the Mass. Ave. gate to the library.

Beth Brainard, director of communications for the library system, said that although touch-ups are still being done to the facility, the departure of construction workers signals the end of major renovation efforts.

While the library itself remained open throughout the project, students and other patrons experienced inconveniences such as the closure of the front entrance and the Loker Reading Room to accommodate ongoing construction.

All of Widener’s reference librarians were moved this summer to the Loker Reading Room, which now features a reference services room. This will allow students to meet individually with librarians and will also make studying easier for other students, according to Brainard.

“Loker Reading Room is dedicated to study and research,” she said. “We have been able to separate the noisy, interactive services from the quieter reading rooms.”

Padded seats and smaller tables with built-in electrical wiring and data jacks were also added to Loker this summer. And the Memorial Level—the level between the first and second floors that houses the original book collection of Harry Elkins Widener, Class of 1907—was restored.

Brainard also said that the library’s marble was cleaned and its architectural elements were restored to their original design.

These efforts were part of the second phase of the Widener Library renovation project—started in fall of 2001 and dedicated to the restoration of the architectural features of the library and the creation of new space for public use.

The first phase, which began in 1999 and ended in August 2002, was targeted at the long-term preservation and security of the library’s collections.

Humidity control, fire detection and suppression, air conditioning, security systems and ventilation were upgraded in all 10 stacks levels during the first phase, Larsen Librarian of Harvard College Nancy M. Cline said. Each of the 3.5 million books were moved, cleaned and reshelved, she said.

“It’s not something we would want to do twice in a lifetime, but it was a success, and it’s a great gift back to Harvard,” she said.

Cine said at the rededication that the renovation’s improvements brought important technological advances to the library.

“We now have a building with technology which keeps up with the way students and faculty are working,” she said.

Dareema Jenkins ’05, a Widener employee since her freshman year, helped Matthew D. Gibson ’05 and donor Katherine B. Loker cut the ceremonial ribbon adorning the front entrance.

Jenkins said she calls the renovated stacks “my home.”

“I spent more time in the library stacks than on assignments—it’s a great place to be,” she said.

—Staff writer Risheng Xu can be reached at xu4@fas.harvard.edu.