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The elevator located on the first floor of the library. Script photo/Elizabeth Lachermeier
The elevator malfunctioning has been an issue far too common in the library. This problem was made especially clear this Fall. During this time, the elevator was out of service for an extended period. I spoke to the director of the library, Keith McGrew, to better understand this recurring issue.
It appears that this fall’s elevator dysfunction was just one of many. “The problem is the frequency of the outages,” McGrew stated. “There have been some days where Facilities had to reset it several times.”
The most frequent breakdown had multiple consequences. The postponement of the library’s book sale was one of them. A student was also negatively impacted by the elevator being out of service. “We recently had a class in the library, around the time the book sale was supposed to be,” he said. “There was a student who needed the elevator to access the library in a wheelchair. And they weren’t able to access it. So in that sense, that person was unable to participate in their class that day.”
The elevator problems have been occurring for some time now. “It’s been a while, at least 10 years,” he stated on this topic. “It has not been this bad until the last two or three years.” During these recent years, the outages have become more frequent and closer together.
Temporary fixes have been implemented during these recurrent breakdowns. On the first of November they replaced eight problematic circuit boards and, since then, there have been no more breakdowns.
While this recent fix is decent, it is not seen as a permanent solution. “I guess I’m not expecting it to go down,” McGrew said. “But if it does, I’m not going to be surprised.” Whereas this current repair is considered only temporary, an enduring future solution is needed.
A plan has been put into motion to altogether replace the defective library elevator. “Facilities have told me that they have put in a capital request to replace the elevator during fiscal 26,” he stated. This would be a big step forward, as the elevator has been on the deferred maintenance list since 2013.
There may just be a bright future ahead for the library elevator. “It sounds like it has the support of the senior administration,” he remarked. “I’m cautiously optimistic that the request will get approved.” There are still a lot of hurdles to clear before this could happen, with the budget being the main one.
While the malfunctions associated with the elevator are the major rationale for the replacement, its age can also be used as a reason to replace it. “The library elevator was installed in 1985 and is the oldest elevator on campus,” he explained. In past years the elevators in the middle of Tower and in Somers have been replaced yet the almost 40-year-old library elevator remains.
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