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From September 2024, the University Library will be expanding its range of rooms for group work with high-quality functional and digital equipment

Seven new ThinkTanks for 2 to 4 people will be added, in which concentrated work in small groups and participation in virtual lectures and Zoom conferences is possible.

Jörg Albrecht, Director of Bochum University Library, explains the advantages of these glass ThinkTanks with LED lighting, sound insulation and self-sufficient ventilation:
“ThinkTanks are transparent, free-standing room-in-room systems that can be flexibly integrated into the existing learning landscapes of the University Library. This room concept is sustainable and conserves resources because the sound-insulated glass ThinkTanks can be set up at different locations in the building as required, i.e. they can be reused flexibly.”

Together with the new ThinkTanks, the University Library now has 15 group work rooms with a total of 21 work areas for undisturbed and concentrated group work and participation in digital learning and teaching formats.
A group room on level 0 was converted into the DH Space (see News article).

A funding programme of the Ministry of Culture and Science in North Rhine-Westphalia (MKW) recently provided funds for the further optimization of the learning space situation at the University Library as part of the project “Areas of the future for teaching and learning at RUB”. This will be used to equip some group rooms in the University Library with state-of-the-art video technology for hybrid learning and teaching formats. The funds will also be used to set up two more think tanks in the IC library, one of the University Library's branch libraries.

Due to the high demand, the creation of further group work areas in the University Library is planned for the future, e.g. through the conversion of office space.

Photography news and news overview: © RUB, Albrecht