Visit to Edinburgh University Library
I visited Edinburgh University Library, which is half way through a £60 million refit. So far, the ground, 5th and 6th floors have been completed. To enter the ground floor, you go past a reception desk staffed by security, to a spacious area that includes an exhibition space, help desk, self service machines (with full RFID), a large core collection, group study pods, banks of fixed computers, lockers and staff areas.
Staff at the helpdesk shown above answer front line enquiries, including general information and IT enquiries, and also issue reservations and the few items that do not go through self services.
There are print and copy pods located at the same place on all floors.
There are lockers on every floor, with coin operated keys, which have proved popular with students, who are allowed to use them on a daily basis (all lockers are supposed to be empty by the time the library closes).
There are 19 group study pods, in slightly different configurations. The screens can be moved by library staff, on request, to form a different configuration:
Students focus groups were involved in the design of the pods.
Users have access to a cafe, and are allowed to take drinks on to the ground floor only.
The Library is designed to be more quiet on the upper floor, with the 5th and 6th floors designated to support researchers (although they are also popular with undergraduates preparing for exams).
The 6th floor contains the Centre for Research Collections, a research suite, a readers’ lounge with comfortable seating, and The Wolfson Reading Room. As much of the material is rare and valuable, there are always two members of staff on duty at all times, and extensive CCTV.
The top floors of the Library benefit from views of the Pentland Hills and Arthur’s Seat:
The 5th floor contains extensive archive stores, including rare book collections, (they were a deposit library until the 19th century), a digital imaging unit, a conservation service and staff offices. There is also an environmentally controlled viewing room, designed for showing material to visitors.
Throughout, they have used refurbished shelves, with new coloured acrylic shelf ends. They still use the Arne Jacobsen chairs purchased in the 1960s, when the Library was built:
You may have seen a photograph of Christine Keeler posing on a chair like this…
We also looked at the floors that are still to be converted, to get some idea of the extent of the transformation – it will be interesting to return when it has been completed.
Thanks Lys Ann – it’s great to see some nice photos on the blog! Now, about those cushions…
Paul Stainthorp
11 Sep 09 at 2:59 pm