Lancaster's new shelving

Providing a learning facility to house some 800,000 printed items and incorporate 1200 workspaces together with a teaching room for up to 36 people and two training rooms, the design brief for the combined structures called for good sightlines and vistas, maximization of daylight, spatial flexibility for future changes and an improved bookshelf layout to ensure rapid restocking.

For one of the UK’s top 10 universities with a student population in excess of 12,000, of particular importance to the library’s management team was that shelving for the refurbished building had to be of high quality and durability and present a modern attractive appearance.

Following a tendering process, Forster Ecospace was selected to supply and install its FOREG 2000 static shelving system and have provided a total of approximately 15 linear kilometres of shelf space to accommodate the library’s printed materials and provide space for future expansion. All the book stacks feature light grey glass end panels which enhance both internal and external light. Of particular importance to the library was the precise pitch of the shelves which was satisfied by Ecospace’s installation of the shelving and which contributed to the speed and flexibility of the book decant.

Said Lynne Pickles, the University’s Assistant Librarian: “The Ecospace shelving is of high quality, modern and attractive, in keeping with the high specification of the refurbishment. The light colour, lower height and wider aisles contribute to a light, airy and accessible environment. The end product is safe and practical for our shelving operations”