May Minister Lawless turns sod on new Library & Learning Commons at University of Galway

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless T.D. has turned the sod to mark the start of the construction of the new Library and Learning Commons at University of Galway.

The new €80million building will be a new landmark for the city at the centre of the University campus and home for an exciting new, sustainable, modern, iconic library of the future. 

The Library and Learning Commons will be a fully accessible high-tech space of learning and creativity with a focus on providing access to books, information and the latest learning technologies for student teaching and learning, for research and for staff. The ground floor will be open to the public.

The project is being supported by Government through a €15 million capital grant through the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science under the Higher Education Strategic Infrastructure Fund (HESIF). Planning permission was secured in summer 2023.

It is expected to be completed in early 2027.

Speaking at the sod turning, Minister James Lawless said: “Significant funding has been approved by my department for this exciting expansion which is a really important development for higher education in the Connaught region. The construction of this building will improve the educational experience for current and future generations of students.”

Speaking at the event Interim President of University of Galway Professor Peter McHugh said: “The plan and the ambition we have for our state-of-the-art Library & Learning Commons is matched only by its setting in the heart of our unique city centre, riverside campus. The landmark development, supported by the HEA, brings to life our vision to maximise resources, technology, space and opportunities for our students, researchers and staff to learn, grow and collaborate in a building which is set to be a new focal point for University of Galway and our entire community.”

University of Galway Librarian, Monica Crump, said: “The new University of Galway Library and Learning Commons will provide our students with an inspirational, welcoming, high-tech space of learning and creativity, designed to meet the needs of teaching and learning in the 21^st Century.  It will be a space that brings diverse people and disciplines together, enabling interaction, discovery, innovation and new partnerships.  It will be a vibrant place of scholarship and learning and a flagship building for the University and the city.”

Early philanthropic support for the Library and Learning Commons building project has been generously provided by a group of lead alumni and other individual donors, and by corporate supporters including CBE and Anthony Ryan Ltd.

Among others to attend the sod turning were University of Galway Students’ Union President Faye Ní Dhomhnaill and former SU education officer Eibhlín Seoighthe; architect Niamh Burke, RKD; Ger Ronayne, chief executive of JJ Rhatigan, and Padraic Rhatigan, chair of JJ Rhatigan.

The new building covers about approximately 10,000m² and will range in height from 4-6 storeys, with 2,244 study spaces (an increase of up to 600 on the spaces currently on campus). It includes quiet, individual and collaborative study areas; spaces for exhibitions; digital creativity; Makerspace, digital scholarship centre; areas dedicated to research/postgraduate study, teaching and events, community engagement and welcome zone, helpdesk, collections, book processing; student wellbeing including sensory, relaxation and outdoor spaces, including a café and terrace. It will overlook the Corrib and be visible from the Newcastle Road area and the Quincentenary Bridge.

University of Galway Library collections comprise 520,000 hardcopy books; 1.3 million e-books; and makes 236,000 journal titles available, of which only 570 are in print format.

The vast majority of these collections will be in a high-density, automated storage and retrieval system – known (for now) as the Bookbot. When a user requests an item via the catalogue, the Bookbot retrieves the relevant crate from storage; brings it to a processing point; and staff select the specific item from the crate for the user. The system is highly efficient and maximises space for study.

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