The last of the University of Queensland’s 13 libraries will be refurbished from September in a $13.5 million dollar overhaul of the Biological Sciences Library.
More than 800 square metres of space will be added to the four-level-library, which is next to The Mayne Centre and Michie Building, at UQ’s St Lucia campus.
The library is used by students studying biology, chemistry, medicine, veterinary science and natural resource courses.
Project Manager Paul Blair said the library’s main entrance via concrete stairs and overhead walkway would be demolished to make way for a new level one entrance.
Mr Blair said the ground-level refectory would be moved north and refurbished to make room for the library’s main entrance and loans desk.
A new northern courtyard and upmarket coffee shop will also be added.
Level two will house study space, computers, an information desk and staff offices.
Level three will hold the books and audiovisual material and level four will hold the journal collection and a new postgraduate study space.
A lift will be installed and an internal stairwell remodelled.
Mr Blair said a light well in the middle of levels three and four and a northern glass facade would dramatically improve natural lighting throughout the building.
He said the Library needed to expand to meet growing needs of students.
Three times as many students now use the Library compared to numbers when it was built in 1976, according to Library Executive Manager Heather Todd.
“When the building was originally completed, there were no computers or electronic products in the library collections – the Cybrary now has over 26,000 electronic journals, 800 networked databases, almost 300,000 electronic books and 1300 computers,” Ms Todd said.
She said the revamped library would have wireless technology which would allow students to connect to the UQ network and internet on laptop computers throughout the building.
The library has moved to a temporary home on level two of the Richards Building for the duration of the building which should start next month.
UQ Union Trading Manager Ray Thorne said the library refectory would be moved before work started into temporary accommodation nearby.
Renovations are expected to finish next September.
For updates, visit http://www.library.uq.edu.au/bio/
Media: Mr Blair (3365 3289, p.blair@pf.uq.edu.au) or Miguel Holland at UQ Communications (3365 2619)
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