WORCESTER’S landmark library The Hive has now welcomed more than six million people through its doors.
The county’s iconic venue reached another million milestone on July 24 within the first half-an-hour of opening.
Since its launch, it has created a big impact on students and the community, with nearly 6.5 million books issued since opening on July 2nd 2012.
The first joint university and public library in Europe was officially opened by HRH The Queen in July 2012.
Coun Lucy Hodgson, cabinet member with Communities, said: It’s really exciting The Hive has now had six million visitors. Worcestershire County Council started a great partnership with the University of Worcester to create a remarkable space which is accessible to everyone.”
“This is a true testament to the ongoing ambition of Worcestershire libraries to develop a sustainable library service that meets the needs of local communities and encourages library use across the county.”
The multi-million-pound landmark with a distinctive design is jointly funded by University of Worcester and Worcestershire County Council.
University Librarian, Dr Judith Keene from University of Worcester said: “The Hive is a truly wonderful facility for all members of the community and we are very proud and pleased to hear that six million people have now visited.”
“Our students love the facility and the University is now ranked 11th out of 149 higher education institutions for Learning Resources, with 91.9% of students saying the library resources had supported their learning well in the latest National Student Survey.
The Hive re-opened to customers on July 4 in line with phase three of the Government’s relaxing of lockdown restrictions. Events and activities are continuing to be on hold due to social distancing restrictions, but the public have access to an array of online library activities via the Digital Library Hub.
From tomorow (Monday) customers will be able to:
· browse shelves and borrow books using self-service kiosks
· return books
· pre-book public computers
· pre-book a desk in the library for study and/or wi-fi access
