Having listened to what students say they need from their Library, the University has invested in a major new refurbishment programme this year, as well as additional Library materials funding and longer opening hours already financed. We are spending over a million pounds each on the Library’s 2nd and 5th Floors to provide state-of-the-art collaborative and quiet study space with additional power sockets. Work begins as soon as most exams are over, due for completion in autumn 2013. We plan to work on other floors in future years.
What will it look like by autumn 2013?
- Architect’s impression of refurbished 2nd Floor
The 2nd Floor will have 350 study spaces, each with a laptop plug point. The high-ceilinged area to the front of the building will provide a variety of collaborative study options including group study pods; diner-style seating; two-person and large table seating. Glass walls will divide off the book stock towards the back of the building with individual study seating for quiet study beside the windows. You’ll also benefit from brighter, eco-friendly lighting throughout.
We plan long study rooms, informal seating and more toilets on the 5th Floor
The 5th Floor will include two long, silent study rooms with laptop plug points at each desk; an open soft-seating area without power sockets for conventional reading; and more single-sex toilets, including those with disabled access. Further study places will overlook the 4th Floor central area through a glass screen, replaced as in the original build.
How will works affect me, summer 2013?
The Library will remain open, providing services to Library users around works. However, please note these changes:
- The 5th Floor Silent Study Floor will be closed to Library users for refurbishment from Saturday 8 June for the duration of the works.
- Access to 2nd Floor Sciences and Life Science material will be restricted, section by section, but we will operate a fetch and carry service where material is out-of-bounds.
- Science and Life Science Library staff will relocate to the 1st Floor Rooms 109, 110 and 111 where they will continue to help you.
- Please use alternative Group Study areas on the Ground Floor and other PCs whilst Rooms 111, 110 and 109 are closed to users.
- There may be some days when access to 1st Floor S@iL PCs will be restricted. You can also use PCs in other buildings. See IT Services webpage for availability.
- For a few weeks over the summer, access to the central 4th Floor area (beside catalogue PCs/4th Floor Reference/Information Desk) will be restricted whilst a glass wall is installed between it and the 5th Floor.
- Noise: Unfortunately, making such a fantastic ’omelette’ will require cracking eggs loudly. You will experience loud noise from 10 June for a few weeks whilst we demolish walls etc on the 5th Floor. We will also need to drill through floors and walls throughout the project, although we will try to restrict this to early mornings before 10:00.
- Alternative quiet space: Students and staff may always book rooms in other parts of the University for quiet study. At this time we envisage fewer rooms will already be engaged for teaching or exams. Contact rooms@reading.ac.uk or ring 0118 378 6506.
- Disabled parking bays behind the Library will be moved from near the Chaplaincy to near the Cedars Hotel entrance whilst the contractors’ compound is in place.
More information
Watch our Library homepage for updates on our University Library News blog or our Library Twitter account. Look out for an exhibition including the architect’s impressions on the Library’s Ground Floor soon.
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Have you used the Library overnight or early in the morning since it 
The latest in our series of monthly ‘Info tips’ has just been published, which this month gives guidance from the Study Advice Team on doing the best in your exams. 
The University has listened and acted upon what students told us through National Student Surveys, via RUSU representatives and other channels: that you would like longer Library opening hours.
If you need Arts and Humanities or certain reference resources over the summer, please be prepared to use our ‘fetch and carry’ service.
Created more study spaces on the Ground, 2nd, 3rd and 5th Floors, including the new Group Study Pods.
We built 
We’ve created more study spaces on the 2nd, 3rd and 5th Floors, where we’ve refurbished yet another room. We’ve also reserved all 5th Floor areas for Silent Study, expanding the number of places in this category since last year.
We’ve installed Smartboards to training rooms 107 and 108. You’ll benefit during Library and ITS training taught here or try them out for yourselves when the rooms are not booked.