Over recent weeks we have been progressing well with our project to compress the Library collections on the 2^nd floor.

We now have lots of empty shelves (photo below) so are able to begin to move some books down from the 3^rd floor to the 2^nd floor; this will continue with the plan to free up space throughout all floors so that we can introduce additional study spaces.

During this move access to lifts and collections may be restricted, but we will have staff available to help you if necessary.

 Apologies for the continuing disruption at this time.

The Main Library is embarking on a programme of works to bring significant improvements for library users by increasing the number of study spaces by 350 and providing additional power and data facilities at study desks.

The period of works is planned to be from 11^th July to 31^st August 2016 and is to be phased over the different floors.

Unfortunately, this will bring about temporary disruption to users in affected areas, involving noise disturbance, restricted access to some print collections and study areas being out of use.

Phase 1: Floor 4. The first phase of works is on the 4^th Floor.  As a result, some of the collections on the 4^th floor of the Main Library (print journals, newspapers, the Centre of African Studies (CAS) Collection and the Serjeant & Watt Collection) will be inaccessible from Monday 11^th July to Friday 22^nd July.

If you need an item from one of these collections during this time, please email us at collections-management@ed.ac.uk. Items will then be retrieved and be available for you at the Ground Floor Help Desk within 24 hours (Mon-Fri) of the request being placed. Requests placed on Friday evenings and over the weekends will be satisfied on Mondays.

When placing a request, please include your own contact details and full details (title, shelfmark, journal volume number etc.) of the item required.

For further information about the subsequent phases of works, dates and areas affected, please see blog [http://libraryblogs.is.ed.ac.uk/libraryredevelopment/]

As part of the Main Library work over the summer to create additional study spaces for Library users, the existing New Journals and New Books displays on the first floor are being removed. We are currently looking at options for a new collections display on the ground floor where we would aim to vary our displays between new books and thematic displays throughout the year.

The current displays will be cleared by 8^th July 2016, from which time new journal issues and newspapers will be available within their sequences on the 4^th floor and new books will be interfiled directly into the book sequences on the 2^nd and 3^rd floors.

The sample furniture has now started to arrive and is being displayed on the first floor Mezzanine.  Below are some images of the new study desks.

We do value your feedback so please pop along, take a look and provide comments on the link below by 5.00pm on 8th July.

The move of collections in the Main Library is now underway. Contract staff are working on the second floor to free up shelves which will be removed later in the summer to allow room for additional study spaces.

Thank you for your ongoing patience while the work is underway.

The empty shelves are beginning to appear!

We are going to locate an assortment of different study desks and chairs which will form part of the new study areas being created later this Summer on the first floor Mezzanine from Monday 27^th June to Friday 1^st July.

 We would very much like you to try them out and provide feedback on the link below  by 5.00pm on 8^th July.

NOTICE: Works Underway  

Works to the group study pods on the ground floor will take place week beginning 20^th June.  you will still have access to the study pods on the 1^st floor throughout this time.

How do you use the library?

The only thing that you absolutely have to know is the location of the library

Albert Einstein

We are proud of the services we offer to our students, from study spaces to books and beyond. We think the foyer of the Main Library could be a more welcoming space for everyone. We want to make sure all users can easily find what they need in this building.

There is a project underway to observe how the foyer is currently used and to see what could be improved. This work will involve tracking how people move through the building. This will be a simple and completely anonymous observation exercise. We hope that this will help us to provide an even better environment for learning in the future!

We would also love to hear your thoughts on the space! Please comment below, or contact us on Facebook or Twitter, if you have any ideas about what we could do to improve the foyer, or if you’d like to find out more about the project.

A number of soft seating areas within the library will undergo upholstery work during the summer – these include stools within the study pods on the ground floor, 1^st floor and café area as well as other soft seating areas in the mezzanine level and break out areas on some floors.

The colour samples below represent the new colour scheme within the group study pods.

Over the summer, we will also be upgrading the audio-visual kit in the Student Study Pods on the ground and first floor of the Main Library. The refresh will increase the size of the screens as well as moving from analogue to digital, improving the screen image quality.

The Pods will also have Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) connectivity allowing users to wirelessly connect their laptops and smart devices to the screens to show content. The work will be completed before the start of Welcome week.