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Old building – new beginnings: Our refurbished TL Robertson Library

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After two years of refurbishment works, we’re excited to be reopening the TL Robertson Library on Monday 20 February 2023 (Orientation Week)!

TL Robertson Library is an iconic building at the heart of the Curtin Perth campus. Originally opened in 1972, the building required significant works to address end-of-life services and ensure reliable and sustainable operations moving forward. The refurbishment also gave us the opportunity to modernise our facilities to better meet the needs of our students, staff and community.

Here are some of the highlights of the refurbished TL Robertson Library:

Study spaces

Our refurbishment has created lots of new study spaces, including new spaces for groups and individuals and an increase in the number of bookable study spots, many with Audio Visual capabilities. We also have an entire floor dedicated to quiet individual study with a variety of study spaces and desks.

Exhibition space

The exhibition space sits pride-of-place on Level 3 and will host exhibitions from around the university.

Our opening exhibition ‘Finding your place and your people: Curtin University Library’, which will be open to view during semester one, tells the story of the TL Robertson Library from its beginnings to now. For more information, visit the Exhibition website.

Collection changes

Our book collection has been relocated to the new Level 2 compactus area. Staff and students are able to browse our collection through the Library catalogue and place an order for our staff to collect their items.

We also have a High Demand collection (which contains essential unit-related resources and other high use items) open for browsing on Level 2.

In addition to study resources, there is a new recreational Read & Return collection located throughout the Library.

Makerspace

Our purpose-built Makerspace on Level 3 has plenty of high-tech and low-tech tools, equipment and materials which our community can use to explore their creativity.

New architectural features

While the refurbishment has preserved elements of the iconic brutalist architecture of the original TL Robertson Library building, it has also given us the opportunity to re-envision the Library as a space. Notably, a new internal staircase has been created between Levels 2 and 3, which opens up the space, increases the sense of connection between the floors and creates new casual seating for students.

Some final touches and works will continue through the first half of this year. We can’t wait to open the remainder of our new spaces, including an alfresco terrace, in mid-2023.

For more information about the new TL Robertson Library and our services, please visit the Library website.

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