Refurbishment of Library Café coming summer 2025
Work will shortly begin to give the Library Café a major upgrade this summer! The remodel will enhance the space for students, staff, and visitors, making it more welcoming, functional, and enjoyable.
What's happening?
Following valuable feedback from students and staff, the Eat, Drink and Shop team is committed to creating a better café experience.
“We've listened to feedback and are committed to delivering a space that's not only more functional but genuinely enjoyable to spend time in." Jamie Harrison, Head of Hospitality and Catering
The refurbishment will focus on:
- Expanded Library Café: This project will explore options to expand the café and better integrate it with the wider Library space. Our aim is to enhance seating capacity and service efficiency, thereby creating a more inviting and functional social space for both students and staff.
- Improved flow and reduced congestion: The current placement of security barriers frequently leads to congestion due to high footfall. Works will involve relocating or reconfiguring these barriers to improve pedestrian flow, minimise bottlenecks, and enhance the overall user experience during peak times.
- 24/7 kitchenette facility: Recognising the extensive use of the Library outside of café operating hours, and the resulting lack of facilities for making drinks or preparing food, a dedicated 24/7 kitchenette will be installed. This will include a bean to cup coffee machine, offering barista standard coffee, smart vending which will have fresh food offering as well as traditional vending offering soft drinks and confectionery.
What does this mean for you?
The current café will close at 4pm on Sunday 22 June for the summer, with the project completing in the autumn.
To limit the impact of the closure, throughout the summer on weekdays we will be opening an additional pop-up outlet on Greg's Place, offering an exciting grab and go food offer.
To see all alternative outlets and their opening times please visit the Eat, Drink and Shop opening times page. The closest open outlets are the Link Café in the Church Lane Building and Cookies, located in the Biology department.
Throughout the refurbishment, there will be some noise and activity, but our contractors will do their best to keep disruptions to a minimum. For updates, please visit our current projects page.
How it could look
Image disclaimer: these images are architect mock-ups and not the final version of the Library Café. They may be updated to reflect the most current plans.