By Lulu Shasha, Third Year, History
Phew! What a relief, the Arts and Social Sciences Library (known to students as the ASS) has finally reopened its doors.
So, what’s changed after a £1.8 million facelift? The two upstairs library floors, home to the humanities collections, reading rooms, suffused with the familiar glow of fluorescent lamps that keep students blissfully unaware of the time of day, remain reassuringly the same.
‘The feng shui has finally been set right’
Downstairs, though, things are quite different. The ground floor has been transformed into a sleek new foyer, where the 360° Student Services and IT desks have joined forces to create an interactive Welcome and Enquiries Hub. Gone are the days of staff hidden behind glass– now, students and staff can chat face-to-face without needing to be summoned by a colleague. The feng shui has finally been set right.
Ambitious new additions of a Creative Technology Lab and an Exhibition Gallery are promised to open on the ground floor in November. The Creative Technology Lab will give students access to 3D scanners and virtual reality technologies that feel almost comically futuristic when you remember the whole thing is housed inside a 1970s Brutalist block. The Exhibition Gallery will showcase the library’s cultural collections and, according to the poster taped rather earnestly to the window during the months of the renovation, aims to allow ‘staff and the public to share knowledge and expertise.’
On your left as you walk in, the designated lunch and chitchat area has been refreshed, trading its dated look for a younger model. A new green-and-grey carpet stretches across the floor, and the walls have taken on a soft, botanical vibe with fresh green panelling and a singular floor plant stood in the middle of the room. With the barstools, computers, and that small separator wall gone, light now spills freely through the windows, making the space feel brighter and more open. If you catch it at the right time of day, sunlight even streaks across the floor– almost as good as stepping outside for some real sun!
Apart from the more ‘organic’ style the colour palette and lighting has set off, the most notable change is the library’s leap toward a more efficient, high-tech feel. As the only 24-hour library on campus, the ASSL has been a haven for Bristol’s nocturnal students. It’s a building that needs to function long after human office hours end, and the refurbishment accommodates that need. New self-service laptop lockers now line the wall, allowing students to check out devices at any time of night, no staff required. Even the vending machine has had a technological upgrade. Gone is the hulking metal box that used to display a tragic mix of tuna sandwiches, yoghurt pots, and the occasional rogue condom. In its place stands a glossy, rotating display of identical products which are somehow rendered infinitely more desirable. As my friend remarked as we walked in for lunch, ‘That’s great they’ve started selling sandwiches like that!’ I told her they always had, but now you may actually find them appealing.
‘It has long been the place students go to get things done’
The ASSL has never quite shared the character of Wills Library or the Physics Library. It lacks their old-world charm and rarely features in those Instagram reels romanticising Bristol in autumn. Instead, it has long been the place students go to get things done. I often hear people declare they’re ‘admitting themselves to the ASS’ as a last-ditch effort to finally finish their work. But now, with its new look and the upcoming additions of a Creative Technology Lab and Exhibition Gallery the ASSL seems to be attempting to shape a more distinct identity, pushing students away from the traditional head down-get out mentality.
Still, only time will tell whether the £1.8 million renovation fulfils its intentions with Bristol’s ASSL-goers, and whether the money was, in the end, well spent.
Featured image: Epigram / Ella Heathcote
Do you think the ASSL's revamp was worth the money?
