Following building works during the summer, a new social space for students, named Escape, has opened in the Library entrance area. It provides an area outside the library study environment, where students can take a break from their studies, relax with their friends, chat on their mobile phones and even have a snack. This new facility is aimed at encouraging students to take a break when they need to, as well as preserving the main library space as a quiet and studious environment.
Escape provides full height glass screens to prevent noise spilling over into the Lower Ground study area and to screen the space from the Library entrance. Curved wooden benching helps to define the space and upholstered benches provide comfortable seating with integral power blocks for laptop use; wireless access is provided throughout. The Library front doors have been replaced and re-spaced, with easier-to-use accessible doors. A canopy has been added, similar to the one outside the New Academic Building, to mark the Library entrance and also provide protection on rainy days.
As part of the project, the Library lobby has been re-furbished, with coordinated flooring, signage and benching echoing the design of the new social space. The pod incorporating a plasma screen and PCs remains, together with the hot drinks vending machine.
Library staff worked with the architects, project manager and Estates colleagues to agree the final design and to maintain Library services throughout the building works. The SU Education and Welfare Officer, Emmanuel Akpan-Inwang, was a key member of the planning group, to provide the student perspective and states ‘The SU welcome the completion of the 'Escape' social space and feel it is an excellent resource for students to relax in and take a break during their study, without disturbing other users of the library. As a member of the planning group, I am confident that Escape will go some way to addressing student need for informal social space and prove to be a valuable and much utilised resource for library users.' A steering group, chaired by Roger Davies, one of the School’s governors, and including academic as well as student members, helped keep the project on track.
The Library has worked tirelessly to minimise disruption caused during these works and would like to thank the users of the Library for their patience during this time. However we are confident we have created an outstanding interactive space which users will enjoy and benefit from immensely.