Summer moves at New College & Hartley Libraries

The University Library will begin an extended period of reorganisation and refurbishment over the summer vacation.

The two projects will run simultaneously over the summer period: stock from the New College Library will be moved to Hartley, Boldrewood and Winchester School of Art; and in addition, the first phase of the refurbishment and extension of Level 5, the top floor of the Hartley Library, will begin.

New College Library

Beginning 12 June, the transfer of the New College stock will continue throughout the summer vacation. The New College Library will close permanently from the afternoon of Friday 14 July.

Hartley Library, Level 5

Work will begin on Hartley Level 5 in July. This floor will be closed from 14 August. The front section of Level 5 will re-open at the end of October to provide facilities for the Centre for Excellence in Inter Professional Learning in the Public Sector. The remainder of the floor will remain closed for refurbishment until the end of April 2007.

This is a complicated series of moves in six phases beginning in June and ending in August 2007. These phases are described in detail at the end of this notice.

There will be disruption in the Hartley Library over the summer. Extensive book moving will taken place on Levels 1, 3, 4, and 5 to accommodate the integration of stock from New College. The stock on Level 5 will be divided between items on open access, housed temporarily on Level 1, and those on closed access, which will be provided via a fetching service.

We will try our best to reduce the amount of time when books being moved are out of circulation, and to provide support for anyone seeking material during this period of disruption.

Staff or students planning to visit us to use collections or study space are advised to telephone ahead to check availability.

We would also like to thank everyone in advance for their patience and forbearance.

Mark Brown
University Librarian

Library development: phases

Phase 1: June - July 2006

Selected science and technology journals available electronically with print copies on Level 1 at Hartley will be moved to an off-site store. (See http://www.soton.ac.uk/library/resources/offcampusstore.html )

Stock from New College reclassified and a daily transfer made for re-shelving at the new Library. There will be some delay in retrieving stock while items are moving between sites.

Phase 2: July - mid-August 2006

Mobile shelving will be erected in the space released by the move of material on Level 1.

Selected stock from Level 5, those class numbers which are most used, will be moved to Level 1. This stock will be on open access on Level 1 until summer 2007.

Further mobile shelving will be erected on Level 5 to house the remaining stock from Level 5 which will be closed access during the refurbishment period. This stock will be moved during late July/early August, and the floor will close to users from 14 August. Material in the mobile stacks will be available through a fetching service.

Mobile Shelving is also erected in Library 4 at WSA and stock in Libraries 1-2 reorganised.

The move of stock from New College continues.

Phase 3: mid-August - September 2006

The front section of Level 5 will be refurbished to provide a learning environment for the CETL and for teaching practice material moved from New College.

The front section of Level 4 will be disrupted during the installation of a ramp to ease access for users with mobility impairment on Level 5.

The move of stock from New College continues.

Phase 4: end-October 2006

The front section of Level 5 opens. There is restricted access via the stairwell from Level 4 while the rest of the floor is closed.

The final moves from New College are completed.

Phase 5: October 2006 - end-April 2007

The main part of Level 5 remains closed during refurbishment with a fetching service for the lesser used stock on the mobile shelving. Open access stock from Level 5 remains accessible from Level 1.

Phase 6: end-June 2007 - August 2007

Level 5 re-opens as a study environment.

Following the end of Semester 2 examinations, Humanities stock from Levels 1,4, and 5 is reorganised on Level 5.

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