One of the three libraries servicing the needs of the students at the University, the Avery Hill library had previously been housed in a Victorian building on the Mansion Site. The library was moved to a new location, right at the heart of the Avery Hill Campus.

The new library is a modular construction linked to the existing buildings via two glass walkways, bringing a contemporary, modern feel to the space. In its new location, the library is in the heart of the Academic area and student social spaces, a busy area needing an entrance control system to provide security, whilst fitting with the overall aesthetic of the building.

Debbie North, Avery Hill’s Library Manager, comments,” At our previous site, we had to manually check cards as students came into the library, which was not ideal. We knew we needed to improve security by installing access control gates when we moved to the new library.”

Although the University knew they needed an access control system, they were keen to find out from other libraries what their experiences had been with the solutions they were using. Using Jisc, a database that brings together academic libraries throughout the UK and Ireland, the University put out a request asking for recommendations.