ABSTRACT
The Kenrick Library refurbishment project at Birmingham City University has been implemented over a period of four years from August 2003 to August 2007. It was designed before the major spurt in student numbers and before PCs became an essential element in the library service delivery. The Library Management Group made the decision to submit a bid to the vice chancellor for a more significant refurbishment project. The library budget funded an architectural feasibility study and the Estates Department funded an environmental survey in mid August 2003. There were ongoing problems with the physical environment. The overall ambience of the library could be best described as dismal. The building had not been redecorated or refitted since it had been built. Areas of the original orange carpet, the use of dark wood furniture and wooden sloping ceilings all contributed to a dated and the dark environment.
