The library welcomes all and is key to Hertford’s ethos of openness and access; it is a space where all students are on an equal footing. And if the Covid-19 pandemic taught us one thing, it is the importance of communal space: Hertford’s students reported how much they missed the opportunity to study outside of their own four walls.

The new design recognises this, offering different environments to match individual learning styles to help students flourish. Communal tables will sit alongside secluded cubby holes, study carels and other nooks and crannies.

Importantly, the new library will be fully accessible, with a lift to all floors that will also allow access to the Hall for those with limited mobility, for the first time in Hertford’s history.