THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

As of May 10:

Gerber/Hart Board President Karen Sendziak has released information about the LGBT library's recent move to Rogers Park, including the current location of the library's archives.

Community members have been asking about the location of the archives, after the library relocated to an unfinished building amid accusations that the organization has become too insular.

Sendziak released details of the move in an email response to Windy City Times inquiries a week after the move.

According to Sendziak, the archives are being stored at Extra Space Storage, 6331 N. Broadway, while the library's new location is under construction. The archives are housed in a temperature and light appropriate space, she said. The Extra Space Storage website indicates that climate-controlled rooms are available at that location.

The library was moved by Carney-McNicholas, Inc., Sendziak said, an Ohio-based company that specializes in moving libraries, art collections and other niche moving services, according to its website.

Sendziak declined to disclose the cost of the move stating that, "No legitimate business or non-profit discloses the cost of a service that is provided by one of it vendors. In addition, the moving business is highly competitive. We do not wish to sabotage the competitive position of Carney-McNicholas by making this information available to its competitors."

Exactly when the library will re-open also remains unclear.

Sendziak said that the library would open as soon as possible but that a specific date had not yet been set.

"We know that the landlord is building out the Gerber Hart space on the second floor in accordance with the plans created by the architect and derived from our approved space plan, and that the architect is working with the City to finalize the plans and obtain building permits, " she wrote. "We also understand that to the extent other elements of the building are being worked on or required to be worked on in order to approve the second floor space for occupancy, that work is also being done by the landlord and the architect. We obviously cannot answer this question with any specifity [ sic. ] since only the landlord and his architect know the details."

With the exception of a zoning review permit, the City of Chicago does not appear to have granted work permits for the site. Seven permits, including electrical and plumbing reviews, are listed as "denied" on the website.

Sendziak said that she has been informed that architectural revisions will yield permits for the build-out, which will occur promptly once permits are secured.

"The City advised our representative that, indeed, they were waiting for revised plans from the architect, that they had worked with this architect before - and that there is a regular weekly meeting at the City where appointments are made for original or revised plans to be presented, because all of the reviewers for all of the trades ( such as the electrical inspector, the plumbing inspector, etc. ) are there to do the review at the same time; and although the City would not go into the details of each of the elements leading to the "denials", our representative was advised that the "turnaround time" since the plans were originally submitted has been "short" compared to what is often the turnaround time at the City; and that many of the requested changes were relatively minor or at least not unusual," she wrote.

Asked if the landlord had a deadline to complete the build-out Sendziak responded, "as soon as possible!"

In the meantime, the library's lease did mandate that the landlord provide storage within the building while construction is underway.

According to Sendziak, the temporary storage in the building is keyed and secure. Sendziak said that because the City permitting process is often uncertain, "we made sure that the lease provided for such rent-free alternative space so that we could move out of the Granville Avenue space in a timely fashion - which, as you know, is exactly what we did."

Sendziak said that Gerber/Hart's future home is divided into two sections, one for the public and one private area set aside for administrative offices, cataloging, processing, archive storage and book sale storage.

"Our staff who are cataloging, processing, and working with our donated books will be working away from the public eye," Sendziak wrote. "This is a major change from the Granville Avenue space, where private work areas were minimal."

The public area will house the library, a meeting/ exhibition room, a kitchen and an area for book sales, which the library has held every few months to fundraise.

Information about the move may not quell the concerns of a group of former library board members, historians and volunteers, however.

Friends of Gerber/Hart Library and Archives ( FOGHLA ) a group that formed shortly after news of the library's move, said their concern is not with the library's new home but with its present leadership.

"Although it's a nice new place, it's going to move with the same old problems," said Dave Howser, a former library present and longtime volunteer. "I still get the sense that it's pretty much Karen [ Sendziak ] naming everything that happens."

The group has accused Sendziak, now in her ninth term as board president, of closing off the organization to its members and supporters. The organization recently changed its bylaws to take away member voting rights and extend the allowed service of the board president, after questions arose surrounding Sendziak's time.

Howser worries that a lack of clarity on when the library will reopen leaves researchers and students in the dark. He also wants the board to host a community meeting and field questions from the public.

Howser declined to comment on FOGHLA's plans, but confirmed that they now have an attorney.

"That's all I can say at this point," he said.