Marquand Library, McCormick Hall slated to inspire once again in fall '03

Campus improvement is such a fact of life at Princeton that the individual sights of construction tend to fade into the background.

New construction sites crop up often enough that it is difficult to keep track of each one, and the appearance of a new site is common enough as to hardly register with the student body. In fact, construction on campus can be described using the old saying about Starbucks cafes on New York street corners: stand anywhere, look around, and you'll see one.

However, one of the more notable sites of current construction is the work that is being done on McCormick. Centrally located on campus, McCormick hall is home to the Princeton Art Museum as well as the Art and Archeology department.

Currently, the front of the building is surrounded by a green awning, behind which lies the bulk of the construction work. This site cuts in front of the main entrance to the building, making these doors inaccessible.

Though it at first might appear as if the art museum itself is undergoing renovation, this is not actually the case.

The Marquand Library of Art and Archaeology, located in the Eastern section of McCormick Hall is what is in fact being renovated.

The Marquand Library, one of the oldest art libraries in America, includes a collection of over 750 current journals and 230,000 monographs and bound periodicals that cover the history of art and architecture from prehistoric rock art to contemporary art and photography.

Most of the materials usually found in the Marquand Library have been relocated to the E-Quad. However, some of the materials can be found in Mudd Library. These materials include all the folios, elephants, rare, Far Eastern materials (other than Far Eastern Reference) and all the following classification ranges: Richardson, A-M, and straight Ns.

The additions and renovations to Marquand Library are expected to be completed in July of 2003, and the library collection will be returned by the fall of 2003.

The rest of McCormick is still accessible, though not through the front doors. Visitors can use the staff entrance on the west side of the building, across the green from Dodd Hall.

The Princeton Art Museum is still open, and will to continue to be for the rest of the year. Museum hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sunday 1:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.