ABSTRACT
The University of Southampton has its origins in the Hartley Institution, founded in 1862 from the bequest of a local merchant, Henry Robinson Hartley. Today the Hartley Library serves as the main library to the university, housing the collections in humanities, science and social science, the special collections of printed books, and the archive collections. Patterns of learning and teaching, particularly in the integration of print and electronic materials, and support for students learning, had been completely transformed. The entrance hall was designed as a learning centre and incorporated a number of elements which might not be associated with a traditional research library but which contributed to achieving the guiding principles of the project. Laptop access has been so successful that there are now laptop-free areas to meet the complaints of those who find tapping at keyboards distracting, the quiet areas are quiet and there is a range of facilities.
