Weekend study space / Library refurb progress

Weekend Library study space

Students studying in the URS BuildingStarting this Friday (17 November), students will be able to make use of additional study space in the URS building over the weekends. Rooms 2s14, 2s21, 2s25, 2s26 and 2s27 will be open for use from 18:00 on Fridays until 08:00 on Mondays, during term time. These rooms had to be closed when the Large Lecture Theatre in URS was reopened in September. They will still be closed on term-time weekdays but will be open for use over the weekends and also during vacations and summer terms when the lecture theatre is closed.

The Library also has arrangements in place to open up space in the Chancellor’s Building on Saturdays and Sundays between 10:00 and 18:00 if the Library@URS reaches capacity. Users are requested to talk to Library staff at the URS Ground Floor Information Desk if they are having difficulty in finding a space.

Library refurbishment progress

Work has begun on the installation of the cladding towards the front of the University Library. Over the next weeks, the contractors will be installing cladding brackets and rails on the exterior walls, which will involve heavy drilling. Occupants of Edith Morley, Whiteknights House and URS buildings may experience a higher than usual noise level, but are advised that the noisiest drilling work will finish by 10:00 every day.

Meanwhile, work continues inside the Library with the focus on the internal and service works on the Basement, Ground and 1st Floors; surveying and ductwork on the 4th Floor; works to the roof and 5th and 6th Floor plant room; and, weather proofing of the north, east and south sides.

The path diversion in place outside the Library will continue and we will keep you updated on the progress.

Stay up-to-date 

Keep checking the Library blog for the latest refurbishment news and updates. For more information on the Library refurbishment, please see our dedicated project page: www.reading.ac.uk/library/refurb.

Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator
and University Communications

More Library study space at weekends

Students studying in the URS Building

Weekend group study rooms include sofas and easy chairs.

We’re providing more Library group study space for students at weekends within the URS building, plus an option to open more space in Chancellor’s building on request!

Weekend/vacation/summer URS group study rooms

Due to fire safety limits on URS building occupancy, certain group study rooms had to be closed when the University brought the Large Lecture Theatre back into use in September 2017. However, from Friday 17 November 2017 we have arranged for weekend reopening of those study rooms whilst the theatre is unused. Rooms 2s14, 2s21, 2s25, 2s26 and 2s27 will open at 18:00 on term-time Fridays and close at 08:00 on Monday mornings.

These rooms will also open during vacations and summer terms, ensuring the maximum study space capacity can be used at exam revision time.

Ask for extra weekend space in Chancellor’s building

Even with the full complement of study space restored to around 800, we appreciate that the URS building may still become very busy at weekends. Although RUSU’s The Study and The Study @ TOB2 also open weekends, other additional campus study space available weekdays may not.

Therefore, we have arranged that if URS study space reaches capacity on a Saturday or Sunday between 10:00 and 18:00, the senior library supervisor will be able to request the Chancellor’s building be opened as well. So please ask at the URS Information Desk if you think you need more space.

More information 

Details of URS and Library building weekend opening hours are available online.

All the latest Library refurbishment news is available on the Library blog. For more information on Library refurbishment, please see our dedicated Library Refurbishment Project page.

Rachel Redrup, Library Marketing Co-ordinator