Our last visit of 2015 was to the new Oxford Brookes University Library - many thanks to Emily Green for writing the following summary of the visit. Thanks too to the staff at Brookes for being so accommodating!
On a rainy afternoon in November, librarians from the Thames Valley and
beyond, made their way through the vast John Henry Brookes Building to the new
Oxford Brookes University Library. Upon arrival, we were greeted with generous
servings of coffee and cake, and a warm welcome from Helen Workman, Director of
Learning Resources at Brookes.
Helen began by admitting that her and her staff were still very proud to
show off their new library which opened in February 2014. After telling us a
little about the history of the University, she outlined some of the key issues
involved in planning and designing the new library and the building in which it
sits.
With planning permission sought in 2007, the award-winning building took
seven years to complete. Alongside the library, it now houses student services
including the Students’ Union, the Careers Service, and numerous teaching and
social spaces.
The library itself is designed around several key requirements
identified by staff and students. Thus it is IT compliant, easy to navigate,
welcoming and secure, and incorporates a range of study and social spaces, as
well as staffed and non-staffed services.
Having polished off our coffee and cake, we now had the chance to see
all of this first hand. Our thanks go to Helen Whittaker (Academic Liaison
Development Team Leader), Vicki Gledhill (Metadata Librarian), and Dave Nolan (Planning
and Communications Team Leader) for being our tour guides for the afternoon.
The first stop on my tour was the new Special Collections Reading Room.
After showing us around, Archivist Eleanor Possart explained a little about
Brookes’ main collections, and showed us some of their particular treasures. I
particularly enjoyed learning more about the history of the university and about
the publishing and literary prizes collection. I was also struck by the warm
welcome we received and was pleased to hear that everyone is welcome to use the
collections, whether or not they are academics or members of the University.
Our tour then proceeded to the rest of the library. With many questions
along the way, we wound our way through staff offices, book stacks, and study
spaces; marvelling at the size of the building, and pausing to consider
interesting features. Everywhere we went, there was an obvious focus on the
design of different spaces for different purposes and I really liked this
aspect of the library. Whilst individual areas feel self-contained and have
clearly been designed with specific purposes in mind, the library as a whole feels
open, flexible, and engaging, and its students and staff seem to be thoroughly
enjoying it. Helen and her team are rightly proud of this library and I hope to
revisit as a reader in the future.
Emily Green –
Assistant Librarian, University College, Oxford.
