Seeley Library will temporarily move to the University Library

Part of the The Stirling Building renovation

By Vicky Westmore
September 2024

The Seeley Library in the Stirling Building

The Seeley Library will temporarily move into a dedicated and newly designed space within the University Library after term ends in December 2024, until work on the Stirling Building is complete.

The iconic Stirling Building is home to the History Faculty and the Seeley Library, which holds collections for History, Politics & International Studies, Sociology, Land Economy, and Latin American Studies.

The History Faculty moved into the Stirling building, designed by James Frazer Stirling, in 1968. The Stirling Building is a Grade II* listed building considered one of the best examples of modern post-war architecture in the UK.

While the building is an architectural icon, it now requires significant repair and renovation to provide the best learning environment, with improved accessibility and sustainability.

The move will take place after Michaelmas term ends to minimise disruption. The Seeley Library will operate as normal in the Stirling Building for the entirety of Michaelmas term. From January 2025, the Seeley Library will operate from inside the University Library on West Road, a 5-minute walk from where the Seeley is now.

The Seeley Library will have the space that runs alongside the Main Reading Room on the first floor (step-free access is available). This includes what some people may know as the West Room and some additional space.

As is the case now, members of the Seeley Library will have access to all the collections, services, and study spaces the University Library offers too.

The Seeley Library team will continue to staff the Seeley Library, including inductions, workshops and specialist one-to-one appointments, in the new location. There will still be access to all the Seeley Library collections.

The Seeley Library and the University Library are part of the network of University of Cambridge Libraries, all working together to provide the best learning experience.

Teams from across the Seeley Library, the University Library, and the Stirling Building project team, are working collaboratively to carefully plan everything with the experience of people who use the libraries the priority.

Work on the West Room for the Seeley Library

The Stirling Building is a Grade II* listed building meaning it is a particularly important building of more than special interest and is subject to a number of approval processes within the University and externally.

Find out more about the plans to restore the Stirling Building:

https://www.em.admin.cam.ac.uk/stirling-exhibition

We will keep you updated throughout and you can ask questions at any time.

Email your questions about the project to Stirling.Project@admin.cam.ac.uk

FAQs

How long will the Seeley Library be at the University Library?

We are still in the consultation process. We expect construction on the Stirling Building to start from 2025, with the decant of the History Faculty likely to take place in Easter 2025. The project is likely to take three to four years to complete.

Will I be able to take my bag into the University Library?

The University Library has run a number of feedback sessions and has to balance convenience, experience, and safeguarding the unique collections. There are some practical issues that need to be addressed first. In the meantime, it continues to be the case that you can bring in lightweight laptop bags, small purses, and can transfer anything else you need into a clear bag to take in (free and provided at the front desk). There is a large locker room just before you go in and the lockers are free. Find out more.

How will this affect borrowing items from the Seeley in Michaelmas term?

The move will take place after Michaelmas term ends and the Seeley Library will operate as normal from the Stirling Building for the entirety of the term. Any items borrowed will not need to be returned until Lent term (and only if someone else requests them).

From January 2025, material from the Seeley Library will be borrowed and returned to the Seeley Library – West Room, inside the University Library, a 5-minute walk from where the Seeley is now. The Seeley Library will continue to have self-issue terminals, and the Seeley Library team.