The Harvard Medical School's Countway Library will undergo a $21 million renovation beginning Feb. 1 in order to update the facility which was dedicated in 1965.

"Technology and time are the driving factors," said Phyllis L. Askey, renovation project manager, noting that the facility was built to accommodate the technology of the 1960's.

The library will also consolidate its rare books and special collections, remove asbestos from the building, and update the building's computer systems as a result of the renovation, Askey said.

Each day approximately 1000 people study or do research at Countway, according to Vivian V. Borek, an administrative assistant at Countway. Askey said Countway attracts students, faculty and staff from Harvard as well as from about twenty other medical institutions in the area.

Countway will remain open during the renovations, Askey said, adding that the construction could be noisy and distracting for library users.

"The circumstances are going to be at times extremely difficult," she said. "But we don't want to endanger anyone. We have to think about safety and security."

The renovation team will leave the collections in place while protecting them from any damage that the construction could cause. Askey said students will probably either have direct access or mediated access to all collections during the renovation period.

The Law School Library, which was renovated last year, handled the situation differently, closing one of its library buildings for the duration of the work.

Administrators at the Law School Library moved the American law collections out of the library, said Paul George, associate librarian for research services. A small core collection remained on site, and the rest of the books stayed in a building in East Cambridge.

The Countway renovation will occur in three phases, according to Askey. The first phase, from Feb. 1, 1998 to Jan. 31, 1999, involves lower level two which will house rare books and special collections after the renovation is completed.

Askey said the area will be redesigned for thiscollection and "big changes to the area" willinclude "multiple exhibit cases, scholar workstations and an elegant, quiet area for historicalresearch."

During the second phase of the renovation, thesecond through sixth floors of the library will berevamped, according to Askey.

The renovations to these floors will includethe building of a new stairway to the second floorto allow for easier access to the reference deskwhich will be relocated from the first floor tothe second floor.

The second phase of the renovation is scheduledto last until July 30, 1999.

The first floor and lower level one will beremodeled during the third phase of the project,Askey said.

This final phase will run from Aug. 1, 1999 tothe conclusion of the project.

During this phase, renovators will create areading room on the first floor. Currently, "thereis not one really comfy area," Askey said. Sheadded that the new reading room will be "a lovely,glassed, airy space" and will hold currentjournals for students to browse through.

Also, the collection of non-medical books,called the Aesculapian collection, will berelocated to lower level one.

"Everything is getting jiggled around," Askeysaid.

In addition to the relocation of collections,Countway is up-grading its computer system.

Askey said the renovation will include "thedispersion of multiple data jacks and clustercomputer stations which will provide access to thelibrary for personal computers."

The architectural firm of Shepley, Bulfinch,Richardson and Abbott and the construction companyWilliam A. Berry & Son are working with Countwaystaff and Harvard Medical School's Engineering andConstruction Department on the project.

The building will remain under constructionuntil Dec. 31, 1999, according to Askey