UC Riverside’s Tomás Rivera Library is finishing up several improvements including projects that will enhance storage and protection of archival material.

The library basement was closed during the summer for the project, which included replacing old bookshelves with new ones. Work is continuing in a portion of the basement where a new enclosed secure vault is being built.

That area will include rolling shelves on movable walls controlled by touch-pad technology to house library collections. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year, said Vilma Kern, a project manager with Planning, Design and Construction.

The building’s second floor also got a makeover with new shelving and furniture designed to create a quiet, comfortable study space for students.

Another project underway is an upgrade of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system in the north wing of the building, also expected to be finished by the end of the year.

A new project, early next year, will install a new fire suppression system on the fourth floor where the main Special Collections and University Archives material is stored.

The new system, which will also be installed in the basement vault, uses a dry mist system that better protects paper and other material in case of a fire, Kern said.

Plans are also in the works next year for digitization and conservation labs on the second floor, which will be used to make materials more accessible by uploading them digitally and restoring materials in need of preservation.

Top photo: A secure storage area, shown Nov. 14, is being installed in the Rivera Library basement. (UCR/Imran Ghori)