Yellow caution tapes warned students not to enter the library via the high-tech glass gates on the third floor. The occasional handyman or facilities employee could be seen examining the malfunctioning gates and it was assumed a repair was imminent. Now, however, a tall metal grate has been erected at the gated entrance, and no fixed timeline has been established for repairs.

"Some time in early November of 2011, that was the serious apparent failure of the gates to open smoothly or to close properly," said university librarian John Popko.

The gates, which are only a year and a half old, are located at the west entrance of the third floor in the library.

Facilities employees, are dismayed the gate broke so soon after being installed.

"That it's still relatively new concerns us. If it was 10 years into the project and it broke down, then okay, it's outlived its life and we need to just replace it — it's kind of a different conversation," said facilities project manager Steve De Bruhl.

The first step when something like the library gate breaks is for facilities to investigate whether it is covered by a warranty, according to Popko.

From there, several options arise. If the item is under warranty, facilities makes arrangements to have the manufacturer or vendor fix it. However, if the item is no longer under warranty, facilities can fix it with a Seattle U staffer or contact a subcontractor who has expertise in the problem that occurred.

The library gate's one-year warranty expired in August 2011, just a few months before the gates broke down. Unfortunately facilities lacked the expertise to deal with the high-tech apparatus of

the gate.

"There's nothing else like [these gates] on campus. Those gates are unique," Popko said.

De Bruhl added, "And they're kind of a complex piece of machinery."

These particular gates are a specialized item provided by Canadian company Advanced Solutions. The company provides similar gates for libraries and transit and metro stations internationally.

The complexity of the gate has to do with a sensor in the ceiling that utilizes a cone of recognition to sense when someone is coming near. The sensor triggers the gates to open and remain open for a set amount of time.

While a simple turnstile would have worked in place of the glass gates, aesthetic concerns were paramount during the design process of the library.

"We tried very hard to achieve a visually and aesthetically attractive appearance when you walk into that third floor west door," Popko said.

At this point facilities is in the process of getting a specialist to look at the gate. Unfortunately, that process has proved difficult.

"We could pay a hefty cost for a service out here from a representative from Canada ... but we didn't deem it necessary ... at that point in time. So we asked to have a local rep, somebody that they would recommend to us that could come out and look at the gate," De Bruhl said.

The "local rep," however was on Christmas vacation when facilities contacted him, and when he was finally able to look at the gate, he could not identify the problem

"So we're working now to get back to the manufacturer to ask them, and it might be that we need to get a representative from their office who has more experience of working with these gates here. ... So that's where we are right now," De Bruhl said.

A time frame for when the gates will be repaired still remain in question and will depend on how the next steps facilities takes unfold. For now, the library has shut down the gates to provide safety for users until it is up and running again.

Bianca may be reached at bsewake@su-spectator.com