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Changing needs

Why do we need a new library?

In addition to supporting our academic ambitions and increasing recognition on the global stage, we have some very practical needs.

The current main University Library, the Queen Mother Library, is the centre of University life, providing a major intellectual resource for the people of northern Scotland and beyond.

However, facilities built for a student population of 5,500 are straining to cater for today’s population of 13,900.  At the same time, the function of the library has expanded more than that of any other campus building.

Today, the library has around 710,000 visits a year from undergraduates, postgraduates, research students and staff, as well as members of the public.  With limited study spaces, shelves overcrowded to the point of collapse, and nearly 300 metres of books and journals added each year, the current library has reached capacity. The structure of the building also severely impedes the basic requirements of 21st century learning, such as wireless internet connectivity.

In addition to providing better facilities for library users, we are committed to widening access to the public, and maximising the research potential of our historic collections and archives. These priceless and fragile items are currently held in inadequate accommodation remote from the main library. It is essential that we rehouse them in a modern, environmentally controlled facility to ensure their continued preservation, and enable us to open them up to a wider audience. We could also bring to Aberdeen national treasures which are currently housed elsewhere in Scotland.

Extending the existing Queen Mother Library to the required technical standards would not represent value for money. The University has committed to a new building which will represent the concept, design features and technology of a library for the 21st century.