Western Bank Library

With the growth of student numbers at the University of Sheffield following the Second World War, the old university library, Edgar Allen Library in Firth Court, was necessary to be replaced with a modern post-war era one. A new library and computing center, Information Commons, was hence opened in 2007 to help to relieve pressure on the Main Library. In February 2010, the building was refurbished by Avanti Architects, restoring the previously obscured marble walls to its original form, and providing group study rooms and new study spaces.

Western Bank Library is built in post-war modernism style. The building is resolutely rectangular, with an exterior of stone facings and plate glass. Western Bank Library was described as "the best modern building in Sheffield" by architecture historian Nikolaus Pevsner. The library has a marble-walled Exhibition Gallery on the mezzanine level. The gallery was formally opened in 2010 after restoration with a grant of £184,000 from the Wolfson Foundation and other alumni foundation gifts. The Exhibition Gallery is open to the public during the library's opening hours. It displays items from the university's special collections and archive, as well as hosts visiting exhibitions. Past…