ABSTRACT
The university library is arguably the most important building on the campus. The library is the signifier of learning in the way the lecture theatre signals teaching. Since books, journals and computer terminals represent the main means of accessing printed wisdom and knowledge, the university library consists of two main storage zones open to readers, the book and journal stacks, and the computer areas. With separate accommodation for electronic media normally known as Media or Learning Resource Centres the cost of cabling can be concentrated into a smaller area, a higher background noise level is accepted and upgrading of hardware or software does not disrupt the life of the library. Although the shelf and storage space demands of learning resource centres is lower than with traditional academic libraries, the extra seating area, table space and equipment costs of computer-based learning makes them generally more expensive to build and equip than traditional university libraries.
