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MISSISSIPPI LIBRARIES VOL. 75, NO. 2 • SUMMER 2012 PAGE 53Storage Room to Conservation Lab:How the University of Miami LibrariesBuilt the First Lab in South FloridaScott David ReinkePreservation AdministratorAssistant ProfessorUniversity of Miamis.reinke@miami.eduDuvy ArgandonaConservation TechnicianUniversity of Miamidargandona@miami.eduABSTRACTRepurposing buildings or space insidebuildings is a common practice, but onethat often comes with limitations and compromises.When the library administrationat University of Miami Libraries decided tobuild the first paper and book conservationlab in south Florida they had to look atlibrary spaces in a new way and hired thelibraries’ preservation administrator to overseethe project. Richter Library, the flagshiplibrary for the University of Miami, has agate count of over a million visitors a year,so there is constant pressure to expand individualand group study areas, add computers,and find storage space for growing collections.With these constraints, there wasno way to convert potential public spaceinto a conservation lab, so the search wentbehind the scenes.INTRODUCTIONIn the last 30 years, most of the largeacademic research libraries in the UnitedStates have invested in preservation programsand dedicated space for conservationlabs. The University of Miami Librarieslagged in this trend, and only in 2010, formallycommitted resources to this endeavor.Under the leadership of a new dean anduniversity librarian, the UM Libraries hasgone through a rapid transformation. Thecollections that were amassed during thepast 50 years were suffering from heavy use,and the excellent special collections materialsneeded professional care. Under his leadership,Dean William Walker made thedevelopment of a preservation program apriority and a fundamental goal of thelibraries’ strategic plan.The entrance to room 136 is the door on the right.ROOM 136Ideally, a conservation lab is included inthe plans of a larger project, such as a buildingrenovation or the construction of a newlibrary. When this is not an option, manyconservation labs have been created in basements,but Richter Library has no basement.Other universities have built conservationlabs at offsite or high density storagebuildings where space is relatively inexpensive,but this was not a viable option withthe UM Libraries’ offsite facility twelvemiles from campus. The only remainingalternative was to locate an underutilizedspace in a non-public part of the library.After exploring all of the options, thelibrary administration settled on RoomRoom 136 looking towards the back wall and plywoodwalled closet.136, located on the first floor between anelevator shaft and a mechanical room nearthe loading dock. It took vision to look atthis storage space and see a state-of-the-artfacility designed to handle UM Libraries’rare and unique treasures, but it was underutilizedand could never serve as a publicspace. The location provided the opportunityfor security, elevator access to the collections,load bearing concrete floors forequipment, and access to water anddrainage. Although it is not overly spaciousat approximately 1000 square feet, it wasthe best option available and could be transformedinto a functioning lab with properplanning and monetary investment.FUNDINGIdentifying a space to repurpose wasonly the first step in a process that took overa year to complete. Next, the proposalneeded the approval of the provost in orderto develop a project budget. Within a university,there are always competing interestsfor funding, so the library administrationdrafted a program statement to justify theimportance of building a conservation labillustrating how the lab would support thelibraries’ strategic goals of supporting studenteducation and improving access to thecollections. Once the provost approved theproposal, the library contacted the campusOffice of Real Estate and Facilities, and aproject manager was assigned to the project.The project team generated a “Request forServices” document with a budget estimate,and an architect joined the team, allowingfor the design process to start in February2010. These steps were accomplishedbefore the preservation administrator cameon board in March 2010, primarily underthe direction of Cheryl Gowing, the directorof information management and systems.DESIGNINGDesigning a space is far different fromworking in a space. All of the features that