More than a million good reasons
Howard Lake | 26 May 2009 | News
Benefactor to meet students as David Wilson Library exceeds 1 million visits
The benefactor who gave millions of pounds to help future generations study in Leicester is to return to see the benefit of his generosity and meet the students he has helped.
Industrialist David Wilson gave over £2m to the University of Leicester Library that now bears his name. His return will celebrate the fact that 1.5 million visits have been made to the building since it opened just over a year ago.
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Foremost among the visitors were HM The Queen, who formally opened the David Wilson Library in December, accompanied by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh.
Since its opening, the £32m Library has won an array of awards, including a Civic Society accolade for architecture, and the Royal Institute of British Architects East Midlands award for Architecture.
During the current examination period, the Library is open 24 hours a day for students studying for their exams. But on Wednesday 3 June a number of them will take a short break from their revision to thank the man who made the iconic building possible.
Librarian and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Christine Fyfe said: “The creation of the new Library is a major milestone in the history of the University for which we thank the David Wilson Foundation.
“Of all University buildings, the Library best expresses our values and aspirations. The Library is placed both physically and spiritually at the heart of the campus. In opening its doors to the academic community and members of the public alike the Library is the face of the University to the outside world.”
David Wilson will meet students who have made use of the new facilities, in addition to Vice-Chancellor Professor Bob Burgess and Christine Fyfe.
Professor Burgess said: “The new David Wilson Library has transformed the University of Leicester’s campus and is a clear indication of our ambition for the future. We want to further develop state-of-the-art facilities to underpin the high quality teaching and research for which Leicester has become renowned. There can be no doubt that the provision of such an outstanding facility went some way to Leicester achieving the Times Higher Education University of the Year award in 2008-09. It is also testimony to the high standard of provision that the Library has won so many awards since it was built. This could not, however, have been achieved without the support of the David Wilson Foundation and other donors to whom we are extremely grateful. They have undoubtedly given our students an outstanding resource and greater opportunity to succeed in an increasingly competitive market.”
David Wilson, an honorary graduate of the University, said: “The David Wilson Foundation believes strongly that there is no better start in life than the one gained from a good education.
“For this reason, the Foundation specifically supports projects which actively increase educational and training opportunities for young people. We are also very keen to help young people overcome barriers to access a good education and training – whether these are through hardship, confidence, disadvantage or inequality.
“This is the principal reason the Foundation offered to support the creation of the new University of Leicester Library which enjoys a central place in the lives of students and has a profound and lasting impact on their studies. I very much hope that the new Library will help all Leicester students aspire to do well both within the University and beyond in their future careers.
“The Library also is a flagship project within the University’s development programme and helps to place the University within the very top league of UK universities. I am delighted that the Foundation has been able to play such a significant part in the University’s development and I am proud to have been involved”.
Library key facts:
David Wilson Library – Facts and figures
Key Facts
Project scope: To extend and remodel the 1975 library building to create an adaptable, light modern library incorporating a range of new facilities. In addition the project included a separately accessed 500 seat lecture theatre with accompanying seminar rooms and the refurbishment of part of the adjacent Fielding Johnson Building.
Floor area: 15,500 sq m. Original building 7952 sq m
Milestones:
Design team appointed: 22 March 2004
Planning permission received: December 2004
Building contractor appointed: Spring 2005
Building began: May 2005
Extension occupied: April 2007
Completion: April 2008
Budget:
£32m including VAT. Of this £4m was funded from SRIF, £5m from fundraising (including £2m from David Wilson, the premier benefactor), remainder from University resources. Cost per square metre £2258.
Contract type: Design and build
Architects: Associated Architects
Project managers and cost consultants: Faithful & Gould
Engineers: Faber Maunsell
Construction: Marriott
Removals: Harrow Green
Furniture:
Reader tables: N E J Stevenson, Rugby
Informal furniture: Go Modern
Vitra Vis a Vis Reader chairs: Atkinson Contracts, Leicester
Office furniture: Emergent Crown
Shelving: Nordplan (plus extensive refurbishment by Bruynzeel of existing basement compact shelving)
Key facilities
1500 user spaces of all types
38 km of shelving in total
350 PCs
Wireless network throughout
13 Group study rooms
Special Collections Suite to BS5454 standard
Graduate School Reading Room
Express Zone incorporating short loan and pick up of reserved books
RFID self issue and return
Help zone – combined Library and IT enquiries and assistance
2 IT training rooms
Additional student facilities:
Careers Service
Student Learning Centre,
AccessAbility Zone.
500 seat lecture theatre with associated seminar rooms.
Peter Thorley
Press and Corporate Communications Assistant
Press and Corporate Communications Office
Division of Marketing and Communications
University of Leicester
Tel: 0116 252 2415
Email: pt**@le.uk
Times Higher Education University of the Year 2008/09
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.