New home for historic Bodleian Library

Millions of books from Oxford University’s historic Bodleian Library are to be housed in a new steel framed storage facility in Swindon.

A ground breaking ceremony was held in September and construction is now well under way on the 15-acre plot. Working on behalf of main contractor Mace Plus, Atlas Ward Structures is responsible for the fabrication and erection of 750t of structural steelwork for the building which will measure approximately 37,490m².

The proposed new storage facility, which will have a capacity of approximately 8M volumes, symbolises the University’s commitment to the access and preservation of the printed book. It will provide essential space and better conditions to store a proportion of the Bodleian’s print collections for current and future generations of readers, thereby honouring Bodley’s legacy.

The new facility is due for completion in September 2010.