Library refurbishment may cause disruptions

**Students using Floor 3 and the Floor 3 Extension of the Library will face disruptions over the summer vacation and possibly during Term 1 of next year due to planned refurbishments.**

The refurbishments, which will begin once summer examinations and the University Open Days are over, will mark the completion of a £1.54m project to upgrade all floors of the Library.

Students were informed of the refurbishments in an email from Librarian Robin Green on 6 March, including details of potential disruptions.

“The programme schedule is tight and, whilst strategies will be in place to minimise any potential overrun, it may not be possible for all the work to be completed before the end of the summer vacation,” it said.

“If that proves to be the case we will work closely with the contractors to seek to minimise any disruption at the start of the new academic year.”

Floor 3 will be completely closed during the refurbishments. Access to the Wolfson Research Exchange will be by crossing the bridge on Floor 2 to the Floor 2 Extension and using the lift to arrive at Floor 3 Extension.

Students using books for Classics, English Literature, Film, French, German, History, Italian, Music, Philosophy, Religion and Theatre will have their books relocated to other parts of the Library or the Library store. All materials will remain available to access.

“On Floor 3 extension we will be introducing new, individual study desks, some of which will have integrated power, together with a small area of soft furniture for relaxed quiet study,” a University spokesperson said.

The cost of the project is so far unknown, but the spokesperson said the figure will become clearer once materials have been agreed with the contractors.

“We have worked closely with the Students’ Union and liaised with SSLCs through our Academic Support Librarians, particularly in the departments closely associated with Floor 3 subject resources,” he said. “Sabbatical Officers were consulted early in the project.”

Students’ Union (SU) education officer James Entwistle said that the SU has been assured that the refurbishment “won’t have a sizeable negative impact on students” and he does not think the work will overrun.

“The developments on Floor 4 were already completed by the start of the year, and the Library had an incredibly successful induction period, so it’s not a worry at the moment,” he said. “However the Union will be monitoring progress.”

He added that “looking at the development of Floor 4, the hope is that the development of Floor 3 over the summer will result in a greater number of private study spaces and will increase the amount of light in what is often a dark space, which I think is a really positive development.”

Second-year English Literature undergraudate Poppy Rosenberg is worried she might be affected by the changes.

“I think that after what happened with the gym, and given that some essays and exams will be at the end of Term 1 in our third year, getting a confirmation that it will be completed by the end of summer or at latest by Week 3 or 4 before reading week would be ideal,” she said.

“But given that construction never seems to be able to be completed on time I sadly doubt that will happen.”

Another second-year English Literature undergraduate Joshua Murray said: “If it needs doing then there is no better time than the summer holidays. Obviously there is a high chance that they will overrun, but once again, if there is going to be a time of year when the Library is in disarray then make it the start of the year when workload is at a minimum so the least amount of people will be affected.

“Of course, if the work gets done on time, then there is not really a problem in my opinion.”

The summer vacation period is typically a quiet period for the Library compared to other parts of the year. While there were 377,595 entries to the Library during the ten weeks of Term 3, there were only 77,511 during a comparable period in the 2011 vacation.