The Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library’s iconic building today closed for renovation. It will reopen in September 2016 equipped for another 50 years as a world-class center of scholarship and learning.
A temporary reading room that opened today in Yale’s Sterling Memorial Library will provide researchers access to the library’s collections throughout the renovation. The reading room is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. It is located in the Franke Family Reading Room, immediately to the left of Sterling Library’s main entrance.
Due to constraints caused by the renovation, paging collection material will take longer than usual. Researchers must request collection material online at least two business days in advance of their visit. Some material may be temporarily unavailable. Check the closed collections schedule when planning a research visit.
The renovation will overhaul the library’s mechanical systems and enhance its teaching and research facilities.
Work crews are preparing the building for the renovation. Blue construction fencing will surround the building’s perimeter, extending past the sculpture garden. In the coming weeks, crews will begin dismantling the mechanical equipment in the building’s sub-basement. The sculpture garden’s marble will be removed and transferred offsite for restoration. A roof will be installed over the sculpture court, which will serve as a staging area during the project.
The project is scheduled for completion in August 2016. The building will officially reopen for the start of classes in the fall of 2016.
Additional information is available on the the library’s renovation website.