As part of its new campus, the University of Cyprus’ new Learning Resource Centre – Library ‘Stelios Ioannou’ offers a range of research and learning services – all housed in a modern and state-of-the-art building.
- 18 June 2020
Today, more than ever, society needs libraries. The library space in the Learning Resource Centre -Library ‘Stelios Ioannou’ is attractive, welcoming, impressive, and beautiful. It acts as a symbol of the campus and encourages learning, knowledge, interaction, and socialisation, as well as the aesthetic refinement of young people.
The centre is intended to be the heart of campus life and serve as a hub of research and innovation – not only for the 10 000 students, but for university researchers and the Cyprus scientific community as well. It houses the university’s entire collection under a single roof. This includes over 700 000 printed volumes, 538 000 electronic books, 12 000 electronic and printed journals, and 188 databases.
More than just a library
The five-story building offers an abundance of services to the university community – all in an attractive, modern setting. Services and facilities include reading rooms, workstations, 950 individual study spaces, 31 group study areas, an auditorium, a 24-hour reading room, and a technology lab. It also offers services for students with disabilities.
Since opening its doors to students in December 2018, the centre has seen a fourfold increase in use.
A first of its kind
Built with the support of EU-funding and through a donation by the late Ellie Ioannou, the new building is named in memory of her husband. Following the benefactor’s request, the building was designed by internationally renowned French architect Jean Nouvel, who was inspired by the campus’ natural topography and colours.
The centre has the distinction of being the first library of its kind ever built in Cyprus. Whereas traditional libraries focus on housing books and manuscripts, the centre is set to redefine the library concept. To do this, it aims to position itself as a place that not only provides the necessary resources for knowledge acquisition, but also the tools for using this knowledge to produce new ideas and solutions.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Learning Resource Centre – Library "Stelios Ioannou" is EUR 35 000 000, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 20 000 000 through the “Competitiveness and sustainable development Cyprus” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Management of natural and cultural resources”.