Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

When will there be a South entrance to the Miller Nichols Library again?

Having an entrance on the South side of the library building is very important. However, it cannot be added until later in the project. Plans have not yet been drawn up for future phases of the project at this time so we do not know when a South entrance will be available for use.

Prior to the construction, the Miller Nichols Library is 169,773 sq. ft. An additional 95,421 sq. ft. will be added for a total of 265,194 gross sq. ft.

The construction will be completed in three (3) phases. Phase I is expected to take 2 years starting late December 2008 and being completed in December 2010. Phase II and Phase III are expected to take approximately 18 months each. The excavation and re-building of the parking lot will be done after the completion of the building.

The current services and collections of the Miller Nichols Library will be the primary tenant and will include a cafe. FaCET will remain in the building. Also, moving into the building will be the Writing Center, the Center for Academic Development, and Western Historical Manuscripts/University Archives. There will also be a significant classroom wing added on the West side of the building in Phase II.

1 300 seat lecture hall
2 80 seat classrooms
4 40 seat classrooms
8 20 seat classrooms

All of these classrooms will be scheduled by the Registrars Office.
 

The robot will be the high density system that stores 80% of the library collections and the collections of the Western Historical Manuscripts. Robots retrieve the requested items. The industry term for the robot is Automated Storage/Retrieval System (ASRS). UMKC has contracted with HK Systems to install a hybrid system with 2 aisles of high density bins and 1 aisle of shelving units. This system enables the highest storage density for a wide variety of materials formats. Users will request items from the online catalog. Their request will automatically initiate the robot to retrieve the item which will be delivered to one of four pick-up stations depending on the type of material. Usually items are delivered in 4 minutes and will be held for the library user for pick-up. Library visitors will be able to watch the robots retrieving materials from a viewing window on the new plaza.

Approximately 200,000 books will be on the open shelves for browsing. These will be the most heavily used items. The library will be working with the faculty to identify which items will be put on open shelves and which will go in the Robot.

Because the Robot will be in the new South addition which will run the full length of the current Miller Nichols Library, the South entrance to the library will be closed beginning December 2009. A new entrance will be built in Phase II that will lead people into a grand atrium with access to the new classrooms and the library.

In the library portion of the building there will be 40 study rooms located throughout the library to accommodate group and quiet study. This represents a significant increase from the current 3 study rooms.

At the end of Phase I we will be re-locating the current Information Commons to the East side of the 1st floor. The newly relocated Information Commons will be newly equipped and furnished and will serve as a prototype for library users to provide input regarding what they would like for the furnishing of the rest of the building when the construction is completed. The building has been conceived to have Information Commons features in all the public use spaces to accommodate collaborative learning and flexible space to met various study and research needs.

The goal is to have 24X7 areas of the library at least by the end of the project. If the configuration of space allows it sooner, we hope to introduce a secure space within the building that is open all hours of the day.

Yes, the building will have a number of sustainable features to make it a 'green' building. Because we are dealing with an existing building some features may be added later in the project. For a summary of the sustainable features, go to the

Sustainability Summary for Miller Nichols Library.

At the very end of the project, the parking lot will be reconfigured to create more green space near Rockhill Road. The parking will be terraced and tiered. The two upper terraces will have 2 tiers each and the third terrace will be surface only. The number of spaces will be the same as exist today. There will be a covered walkway up from the parking levels to the new North Entrance of the building.

The project costs are budgeted at $70 million. Fund-raising will be correspond with the phases of the construction.