The Conversion of a Science Institute to a Faculty Library in Ghent, Belgium

The Faculteit Letteren en Wijsbegeerte/Faculty of Arts and Philosophy of Universiteit Gent/Ghent University held 50 different library collections, containing 670,000 books, which were scattered over 222 different locations in the city of Ghent. The dispersed collections were a legacy of the former seminar instruction method favoured by many professors in the past and no longer met the needs of academic research and education in the 21st century. A masterplan was developed to bring the collections together. Central to the plan was the renovation of the historic neoclassical building known as the Institut des Sciences/Institute for the Sciences dating from 1892. The project included both the renovation of the building and the amalgamation of all 50 collections under one roof. A primary concern during the renovation process was finding the appropriate balance between the requirements of historic building conservation and the needs of a modern library. After more than ten years of preparation, planning, restoration and relocation, the large new faculty library was opened with much celebration in 2018. The new library in its historic building, with 13 km of bookshelves, 8,000 m² and 1,000 study places, showcases the spirit of the faculty