Telford College's new £2 million library opens its doors

The two-storey Haybridge Library, which offers bookable study rooms, collaborative study areas, teaching space, more than 150 seats and smart lockers with laptops available to loan, was formally unveiled on Thursday.

Designed to flood the space with natural light, the library at the Wellington campus gives students a dedicated environment for independent study, research, group work and reading.

The official opening ceremony was performed by student council officer Connor Oswin, joined by bestselling author and former college student Emma Cooper.

Lawrence Wood, Principal and Chief Executive, said the library, part-funded by the government's Capital Transformation Fund, demonstrates the college's ambition "to provide high quality education and training" every day.

He said: "Within this space students can develop skills that will have a lifelong impact — learning how to verify information, learning how to analyse content for its authenticity and learning how to make a judgement on the basis of evidence, skills that are needed more than ever.

"We are also investing £15,000 to start our brand-new college book collection and I look forward to seeing how our collection evolves as students and staff make this space their own."

Mr Wood thanked the government for its funding support, the college's Corporation Board for backing his vision for the library and all the college team who had worked on the project.

Telford College student Lily Randall, one of the first students to use the new library, said: “The new library is a great environment to study. It’s going to be really helpful for us this year and it is cosy and homely too. It’s a perfect quiet space for me to focus.”

Special guest Emma Cooper, whose novels have been translated into seven languages, said: "I didn't realise how important my time here was, and how much it would impact me and my life going forward. It taught me to sit closely with ideas, let them develop, and more importantly to keep going if things don't always go right.

"Libraries are so important. It's not just about a room full of shelves, it's about a place of tranquillity and a place that we can escape."

Her advice to students was: "Take advantage of this facility and read widely. Read things that you wouldn't normally pick up. It doesn't always have to be about studying; it should also be about pleasure and about finding the person that you want to be."

The library was designed by Bridgnorth-based Johnson Design Partnership and built by SWG Construction of Welshpool, with furniture supplied by Taskspace.

Becky Johnson, architect at Johnson Design Partnership, said: "It's always rewarding to work with educational clients to transform existing buildings into exciting new spaces that inspire students. At the heart of our design was the introduction of lots of natural light to create a brighter learning environment

Steve Gough, managing director of SWG Construction, said: "We are pleased to have delivered this project, providing a modern, flexible space to support evolving learning requirements. Delivered within a live college environment, the works were carefully phased to maintain safe and uninterrupted use of the facility throughout."

Councillor Shirley Reynolds, who attended the opening ceremony, said: "This is an absolutely fantastic facility. It is what a place of learning should be, and what the young people of Telford and Wrekin deserve."