When Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles addressed the Faculty in his annual letter in January, one of his missive's more remarkable lines referred to the University's signature library.

"The odor of Widener's deeper recesses, while providing olfactory nostalgia to generations of readers, is actually the smell of decaying books," he wrote.

This problem--books decay due to heat, humidity and sunlight in Widener's non-climate-controlled stacks--will soon be tackled as Harvard's largest library receives its most significant renovation ever.

And, while little change will be visible from the outside, the massive project has been likened to Boston's "Big Dig" to place the city's Central Artery underground.

The project, slated to begin in June and cost $52 million, will include the addition of air conditioning, a sprinkler system, a new fire detection system and two new reading rooms.

The renovations will begin sometime after commencement with the erection of a sky crane at the Mass. Ave. gate near Wigglesworth.

"[We have been] in up to here with the planning. It's the biggest project any of us will ever be involved in," says Nancy M. Cline, Larsen librarian of Harvard College. "There are new construction projects here that would not impact as much...on the campus."

Susan A. Lee, Cline's deputy in charge of planning and administration says the project is one of the biggest library renovation projects ever undertaken.

By comparison, Yale's recent renovation of its main library, Sterling Memorial, cost just over $30 million.