Librarian Carson Holloway (left) gets a selfie with help from Kelley Lawton, Head of East Campus Libraries, on a recent staff tour of Lilly Library.
Last month, staff members from Lilly Library (currently working out of Bishop’s House) got a hard-hat tour of the renovation in progress. It’s been several months since most of them had been back inside the building, and the place is starting to look pretty different.
With the old stack core completely removed, the compact shelving taken out, windows boarded up, and the project still very much in the destruction rather than construction phase, it can take some imagination to picture what the future Lilly is going to look like.
But the walkthrough did prompt a number of fond memories and reflections from library staff, particularly those who have worked in Lilly for many years.
Since we can’t take everyone inside an active building site, we wanted to share a few images from their behind-the-scenes tour, as well as a few personal reflections from Lilly’s staff on what the experience brought to mind.
Do you have a memory of the old Lilly Library you’d like to share? If so, feel free to drop it in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!
Plywood protects the marble floor and original architectural features in Lilly’s entrance atrium. After the renovation, a new second-story balcony walkway will cross this space, connecting the building’s two wings.“After thirty years of working in Lilly, I never realized how poorly the space was utilized until I saw everything removed from it. It was good for 1927, but the add-ons and add-ons resulted in a clumsy functioning we had all gotten used to. A complete start-over like this renovation was a great reminder of that.” — Lee Sorensen, Librarian for Visual Studies and Dance (pictured)Lilly staff explore the Few Reading Room. After the renovation, the well-loved study space will appear much as it did before, with updated wooden shelving, lighting, and furnishings.Standing inside what was once Lilly’s original stack core. “With the stacks completely removed from the back section, the space remaining became a cathedral. Handsome exposed brick to a height of three stories (!) and the large rounded windows shedding light in from the top. I found myself humbled again by the experience of architecture—and the long-gone workers who made it.” — Lee Sorensen, Librarian for Visual Studies and Dance
“I was surprised by how small and empty the stack tower felt. It was not nearly as tall as I’d imagined it would be. Shed of its steel bones, thousands of books, and poor lighting, I actually admire how the original building was adapted by introducing the interior framing during construction to expand from three to four levels.” — Carol Terry, Lilly Library Collection Services, Communications, and Social Media CoordinatorUpstairs in the historic Thomas Reading Room. “You know that over the years so many people have thought of this as their room or hideaway, and they have a personal connection to it. The intended use of the space as a haven for quiet study belies all the important and personal events we’ve hosted there—retirements and departures, baby and bridal showers, Eagle Scout inductions, celebrations of life for deceased faculty, graduation-related events, even presidential dinners (during the Brodie era) with honorary degree recipients.” — Carol Terry, Lilly Library Collection Services, Communications, and Social Media Coordinator (foreground, looking up)Pausing for a group photo. “We saw the car from the dumbwaiter in the old staff room and it brought back many memories of the numerous books that we sent between all the levels and was glad to see not too many books were found in the shaft. Several books were found, however, in the drop ceiling and under the compact shelving.” — Nathaniel Brown, Lilly Library Access and Delivery Services Manager (far right)Exploring the lower level, where students once studied among rows of compact shelving and cramped cubicles. “It is very exciting to see all the differences that the new Lilly will have. I especially look forward to the loading dock area and the workroom. I know colleagues from Smith are excited about the café and a place to get coffee.” — Nathaniel Brown, Lilly Library Access and Delivery Services Manager“I have been at the Duke University Libraries for over thirty years, and for at least fifteen of those we have been dreaming, contemplating, and talking about a Lilly Library renovation. So when I enter Lilly and see construction in progress, it feels a bit unreal. The stacks core and mobile shelving are gone; plaster and ceiling tiles have been removed; and the service desk is no longer in its place, but I can see what Lilly will be—a library that meets the research and study needs of students, a hub for East Campus programming, and a gathering spot for students, faculty, and staff. The combination of the beautiful historic reading rooms in addition to the new spaces and services will truly meet the needs of our users. Each phase of construction means that we are one step closer to opening, and I am thrilled!” — Kelley Lawton, Head of East Campus Libraries (pictured in front of her old office)
