Electronic Precinct - January 1998

The Harold Cohen Library - major improvements for students and staff

The major part of the project has been the extension of the wings at each end of the building, to create a learning resource area with over 280 learning resource places, each with its own networked computer. This has created the largest grouping of personal computer work stations in the University.

The new Learning Resource wings of the Harold Cohen Library were formally opened in December 1997 by Professor Brian Fender, the Chief Executive of HEFCE.

The first Library in the University was the Tate Library in the Victoria Building which accommodated 50,000 volumes. In 1935, Harold Cohen, Chairman of Lewis's and the son of a former Lord Mayor of Liverpool, gave the University a donation of £100,000 to build a new Library which, by then, was badly needed. In May 1938 a ceremony was held to mark the opening of the new Harold Cohen Library by the Prime Minister, Stanley Baldwin.

When the Harold Cohen Library opened the total stock was 200,000 volumes and there were 15 staff. Today the University Library has over 1.4 million volumes (of which about 500,000 are housed in the Harold Cohen Library) and about 90 full-time staff.

From its opening in 1938 until the Sydney Jones Library opened in 1976, the Harold Cohen was the main University Library serving all Faculties. In 1976 there was a complete reorganisation and the Harold Cohen became the main library for the Faculties of Science, Medicine, Engineering and Veterinary Science.

After almost 60 years of intensive use the building was in need of refurbishment. Development was also necessary to take account of the changing role of libraries which need to be able to offer access to information in both print and electronic format.

Building work, of which a quarter of the cost was contributed by HEFCE, started in the summer of 1996 and finished in September 1997. In addition to long term maintenance and refurbishment, learning resource areas have been provided in the extended north and south wings. These house 8 PC centres with 280 user places each equipped with a PC connected to the PCMNS. Access for disabled users has been improved and the establishment of a PC help desk, staffed by CSD but integrated with the new Issue/Enquiry desk offers the user a seamless information service.

The architects for the project were Gilling Dod. This firm of long established Liverpool architects (they were responsible for the Cunard Building) designed the original Harold Cohen Library in the 1930s.