The £11million extension has increased the overall capacity of the Library by more than 400 study spaces. The project has also introduced a fourth, lower-ground floor that will operate independently of the Library, for teaching activities and use by student societies.

The building was formally handed over by the contractor to Lancaster University on Thursday 15^th April and staff from the Library have since worked hard to ensure as many study spaces as possible are available to students from the 19^th April.

Andrew Barker, Director of Library Services said: “It has been fascinating to see the building being developed over the last 18 months, more so because of its timing during the pandemic. The variety of spaces and facilities will benefit all of our University communities and help us realise the ambitions we have identified in our vision, The Library Towards 2025. We have of course taken a flexible approach to opening the space and look forward to a time when we can use the Library to its full potential, but especially in a time like this, more space can only be a good thing.

“A special thanks to the contractor who has been extremely supportive and understanding of our needs, both as a Library and University. The lengths at which the Project Team went to in order to minimise disruption were at times testing and we fully appreciate their support.

“Our priority is now to maintain a safe environment for our students to study. The introduction of new breakout spaces, quiet areas and relaxation spaces will clearly add another dynamic to the Library and with the ability to book individual study spaces via the online booking system, I’m confident that we can provide a setting that students can not only feel safe in but thrive in as a result.”

Three floors of the extension are dedicated Library Space, with a maximum capacity to accommodate more than 430 students in addition to the 1200+ spaces already provided in the rest of the building.

Due to current social distancing rules, the number of available study spaces has been reduced across campus, including the new extension; reducing its capacity to around 120 people. Thanks to the carefully selected style of furniture, and the digitalisation of bookable study spaces, Library staff are able to carefully and safely increase its capacity as soon as government guidance allows.

The overall building design was developed by architects Scott Brownrigg following consultation with staff and students in 2018 and 2019. Construction of the extension followed in November 2019 and was undertaken by John Turner Construction Limited.

Anna Cockman, Head of Estate Development (Project Delivery), Facilities Division said: “This has been a fantastic project to be involved with due to the genuine collaboration between the Estates Development Team, Client team, stakeholders, designers and the contractor. The expansion of the existing Library space, provision of additional informal student social space, plus a new teaching space will all be valuable additions to the campus and will enhance the student experience, providing more high quality meeting and study space. The team have worked hard to deliver this project with as little disruption as possible to the operational Library and surrounding buildings."

Some landscaping works around the entrance to the lower-ground floor on Library Avenue are ongoing but this will not impact on the three floors of Library space.

The lower-ground floor will not open on the 19^th March as members of the Students’ Union consult with the University to decide on the best use for the space on reflection of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is still intended that the space will be dedicated to students and student societies but details of how the space will work are still being developed.

Find out more about the Library and how to book study space on the Library website.

Find out more about this development project and others on campus via the Estates Development webpages.