Nearly 800,000 documents, or approximately 21 km of books to be moved in a few months. This is the challenge that the University Library of Humanities and Social Sciences (SHS) of Lille Pont de Bois set itself, before starting its renovation work.
Five months of moving
A team of specialized movers loads an entire truckload of books every morning. The books are all stored in metal rolling cabinets, covered with stretch film to protect them during transport. A total of 60 cabinets are transported every day, the equivalent of 300 meters of books.
The truck then takes the road towards Aisne, where the documents will be stored in a “silo”, a book preservation store. A small quantity of books will be distributed to the three other university libraries on campus.
The last books will be evacuated in June, when the library will close for renovations. Students will be able to work in a temporary library at the start of the next school year. The work will last four years, to a reopening planned for 2026.
– Juliet Gloria
An essential renovation
The SHS Library is the only building on campus that has never been renovated since it opened in 1974. For the students, it was difficult to work in good conditions, as a third-year psychology student explained: “I come here every day, it’s kind of my refuge! But here in winter the library turns into an igloo. It’s so cold that I have to go to work in the other libraries on campus“.
A few books will be stored in the provisional BU. Students will be able to continue to consult the documents stored in the Aisne thanks to a documentary shuttle who can bring the requested books back to Lille.