Chemistry Library refurbishment 2013
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Project Overview
Library Services in conjunction with the Estates Office are in the process of completing the second stage of library refurbishment within the Chemistry Library (Worsley Chemical Library). This follows on from the successful first stage of refurbishment which was completed in September 2012. A timeline of the project is shown below. The Chemistry Library (Worsley Chemical Library) is located within the School of Chemistry and houses the chemistry collections, attracting 76,446 visits annually.
The project is one of a number of improvements to branch libraries across the University. The aim of the refurbishment is to achieve a modern learning environment with enhanced facilities to create a welcoming and stimulating environment for library users. The second stage of refurbishment has included:
- replacing the rest of the furniture and flooring in the main part of the Library
- work on the Group Discussion Room and Postgraduate Reading Room to make these more flexible by removing shelving, installing power around the walls and using new furniture. The rooms will then become Group Study Room 1 and 2. [the Staff Reading Room (also known as the Garner Room) is now under consideration for conversion to Group Study Room 3]
- general redecoration
- new blinds, ceilings, and improved lighting
- an increase to study spaces is flexible to accommodate differing requirements through the academic year; this is in addition to the 40 extra spaces created in Stage 1. The overall increase in study places over the two stages of the refurbishment is over 100, representing an approx. 70% increase.
- improved access to book stock, by moving the Stack books to open access on shelves at the far end of the library
- improved access to journals in the library, by freeing up space for a number of chemistry journal runs to be brought back from the Library Store
Project news and updates
Project news and updates will be communicated on the Library web pages (primarily this page) and through email communications with the School of Chemistry.
- 25 June 2013 - withdrawal completed of approx. 250 metres of journals, where we have perpetual secure online access. This was a key pre-requisite for Stage two of the refurbishment work.
- 1 July 2013 - start of move of Stack books to open shelves.
- 2 July 2013 - the move around of the remaining journals is completed, including the removal of all of the journals in the Postgraduate Reading Room
- 5 July 2013 - move of Stack books to open shelves completed.
- 8 July 2013 - start of move of Thesis collection from the Group Discussion Room to the Stack Room.
- 12 July 2013 - move of Thesis collection from the Group Discussion Room to the Stack Room completed.
- 13 July to 25 August - weekend working
The library will remain open during the refurbishment with the majority of works being completed over weekends to minimise disruption to users. Some re-decoration work is likely on weekdays to help progress the project. No out of hours access will be possible over these weekends. For part of the refurbishment there will be reduced seating in the library, though the area refurbished in Stage 1 will be available and we do not envisage any restrictions on access to stock. - week beginning 26 August - we are aiming for the new furniture to be delivered during this week, though this is dependent on the supplier.
- 15 July 2013 - most of the old furniture has been removed and the cupboards and ceilings in the Group Discussion Room and Postgrad Reading Room have been taken down.
- 29 July 2013 - new ceiling tiles have been installed in a large part of the Library over the weekend and key walls in the Group Discussion Room and Postgrad Reading Room have had extra soundproofing installed and have been re-plastered. Most of the old furniture and cupboards have also been taken away.
- 12 September 2013 - most of the work has now been done, though we are still awaiting delivery of the table tops for the main desks and the Postgraduate window seats, which is now scheduled for 18 September. Weekend out of hours access is now re-instated for Chemistry staff and postgrads.
- 19 September 2013 - the table tops for the main desks have now been installed and almost all of the Postgraduate window seats are now complete. A number of small issues remain, including bulbs for the new lights above the Postgraduate window seats.
The Staff Reading Room (also known as the Garner Room) is now under consideration for conversion to Group Study Room 3. If this goes ahead the special collection of old and rare science books (the Garner Collection) will be transferred to the Special Collections department in the Arts & Social Sciences Library, where it will benefit from better environmental, and the room will be converted towards the end of 2013. - 23 September 2013 - the refurbishment of the Chemistry Library is complete, apart from a number of small issues which are in the process of being resolved.
- November/December 2013 - following on from the successful refurbishment during the Summer, the Staff Reading Room (also known as the Garner Room) is now to be converted to Group Study Room 3 and should be ready later in 2013. The special collection of old and rare science books (the Garner Collection) wich is currently in this room will be transferred to the Special Collections department in the Arts & Social Sciences Library, where it will benefit from better environmental conditions. Noise and disruption will be kept to a minimum while this work is done and the major works will be done at weekends.
Photo gallery - before and after refurbishment
Click on the thumbnails to see a bigger version of these images.
Further Information
For further details on the project including news, updates and project progress, please re-visit this page or contact Rebecca Rose, Library Development Officer.