Consultation over 24/7 New Home for Law Library
The prestigious £48million Forum project has created the opportunity to transfer Exeter’s Law Library collections into a newly built space within the 24/7 Main Library.
£5.8 million is being invested in the Main Library to create a world-class library facility that will hold the highest demand collections in all academic disciplines. This flagship undergraduate facility will be complete in early 2012, and is open 24/7 during the academic year with substantial computing provision and resilient wifi throughout
The Library is now consulting with Law staff and students on the proposal to relocate the Law Library from Amory to the Main Library following its refurbishment.
In the Main Library, students of Law will benefit from longer opening hours, fully refurbished library spaces with increased study space and computer access, and the adjacent Forum facilities including seminar rooms, 400 seat auditorium, new Student Services Centre and Careers Zone, as well as retail and cafe facilities.
In Amory, in the space vacated by the Law Library, it is proposed that the first floor space will be used to support academic growth within the College of Social Sciences and International Studies, particularly relevant with the strategic decision to concentrate Law studies on Streatham Campus from 2012/13. The ground floor space would be converted in Summer 2012 into a dedicated ‘learning commons’ with study seats and computer facilities open to students in all disciplines.
This proposal would bring library provision for Law at Exeter in line with leading UK law schools, including King’s College London, UCL, LSE, Nottingham, Leicester and Durham, whose law libraries are all located alongside other collections in libraries where their Law students can enjoy the same long opening hours and facilities as other students.
Download the full proposal with contacts for feedback, and accompanying Powerpoint presentation providing additional contextual information.
Law Library Proposal – August Update on Progress
Since our July update on the progress of the consultation over future plans for the Law Library, we have been working to analyse your feedback and to consider how the proposal can be strengthened in the light of your comments.
The Law School and the College of Social Sciences and International Studies have been working on ideas to establish a bigger and more cohesive physical presence for the Law School on the first floor of Amory, including the upper floor of the Law Library. With the Library, the Law School and the College have also been discussing ideas for additional investment in online resources and digital skills training for Law in 11/12, and how the concept of a new Amory Learning Commons would benefit Law students.
Lauren Mercer has received copies of your feedback from the consultation and she is collating a report in her role of SSLC Chair for Law, 2011/12. If you have further comments on the proposals, please do contact lawlib@exeter.ac.uk or Lauren Mercer, as your SSLC Chair.
We will be sharing a full update with you in September.
Dr Sue Prince
(Director of Education, Law School, SSIS)
Paul Beerling
(College Manager, SSIS)
Jessica Gardner
(Assistant Director, Library & Research Support)
July update on Law Library Proposal
Since the launch of the proposal to relocate the Law Library to the Main Library on 15th June, feedback has been received from students, staff and alumni and further discussions have taken place with the Law School and student representatives.
This message is to update you with the progress of the consultation and discussion to date.
We have listened to the feedback we have received and the Library is working with the College of Social Sciences and International Studies and the Law School to strengthen the proposal.
We are exploring how to develop a ‘Law identity’ for the new library space, looking at whether additional study seats can be located in the proposed location for Law in the Main Library and are gathering ideas to inform the layout of the proposed ‘learning commons’ on the ground floor of Amory. This is intended to be a study space, open to students in all disciplines, suitable for ‘quick drop down’ between lectures as well as sustained periods of study. Options to retain a small core reference collection for Law on open access in this space are also being considered. The College is in discussion about how space vacated by the Law Library on the first floor of Amory might be used to support research and education within the Law School. The Library is also considering what else it would need to do to make this a good transition for students, including support for mooting and the potential for additional investment in online resources for Law students in Exeter and Cornwall.
We would like to thank you for your active participation in the consultation process. The consultation will run as planned to 15th July, followed by a period of reflection. A final decision on the proposal will be made by the start of the new academic year. This will allow us to fit in with time-scales for the Forum project and will ensure clarity for new, returning and prospective students of Law. If the decision is made to move the Law Library in June 2012, after exams, it will be important to move into clear communication with you all about what is happening when and to develop ways to engage you in the changes taking place.
There is still time to contact the Library with feedback or questions on the proposal available here before the close of the consultation.
