Resort campus £2.4m revamp set to overhaul library

The redevelopment started this week and will last throughout the summer months, ending when the undergraduates return for the start of the new semester.

The project will include a complete overhaul of the current Keith Donaldson library and study areas, to create a more open-plan and welcoming atmosphere.

The area will also be more accessible for students with disabilities.

Thousands of books from the existing library have been moved temporarily to the Hull campus during the summer.

Dr Craig Gaskell, Dean of the Scarborough Campus, said: "Although the timeframe of this major redevelopment is very challenging, we are confident that when our students arrive in September they will be very impressed.

"This work shows the continuing commitment by the university to the Scarborough Campus, and in the quality of our student experience.

"The redeveloped library will see our resources become more easily accessible, will cluster staff around one central support hub, and provide more areas for study, whether students prefer to work on their own, or in study groups.

"The new layout incorporates former office space and teaching rooms which will be upgraded and replaced elsewhere. The project will also provide a new, more accessible home for the Students' Union."

He added: "The redevelopment will also highlight some of the period features of the rooms, such as beautiful fireplaces and windows, which formed part of the original building that is celebrating its centenary this year."

A rolling programme of work has already started on improvements to the on-campus halls of residence.