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24 January 2006
UCL Library's new staircase, exhibition space and public services facilities were formally opened in January 2006.
The event marked the completion of the first stage of a major redevelopment of the central Wilkins Library.
Professor Malcolm Grant, President and Provost of UCL, said that the library had been at the heart of William Wilkins' original 1825 design for UCL, and that the library had been at the heart of the institution since its opening in 1828. The new staircase, he said, had been "designed and executed to a superb standard".
Dr Paul Ayris, Director of UCL Library Services, highlighted the new cluster room and the exhibition space, which showcases a small selection of about 100,000 items held in UCL Library Special Collections, most of which have been acquired through donations.
The exhibition space was made possible by the generosity of alumni and friends giving through UCL Futures.
A special guest at the event was John Sutherland, UCL Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature, who wrote about the refurbishment in the 'Times Higher Education Supplement'.
To find out more about UCL Library Services or to read Professor Sutherland's article, use the links at the top of this article.
Image: The opening event in the Flaxman Gallery
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