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Events

Numerous events are being organised to keep the University community informed of developments and to celebrate milestones, leading up to the opening in 2010.

The Turning of the Sod

• On 14th October, 2008, the first sod was turned on the new Library site marking the beginning of the construction phase. Despite persistent rain, Vice-Chancellor Professor Steven Schwartz took up the shovel and did the honours, breaking the ground just after 1pm. The Vice-Chancellor explained how the new Library will use technology to free up much-needed space and allow Library staff to assist students to better use and evaluate information.
  A traditional Aboriginal smoke ceremony was conducted by Darug elder Chris Tobin, and many of those gathered took up his invitation to walk through a veil of smoke in order to cleanse the site. Chris noted that although the rain might seem an inconvenience, it was in fact a good sign for our future Library.
  Although it was wet, the weather didn’t stop many staff students and other friends of the Library enjoying a barbeque to mark the occasion.
  See pictures of the event.

Robots Party

• On Tuesday 6 May 2008, Macquarie University Library hosted a ‘Robots Party’. It was held in the U&MQ Atrium and brought together University staff, research degree students, student representatives, Library Friends and the architects and project consultants to celebrate the development of the plans for the New Library building. The ‘Robot’ theme was chosen to highlight and dispel any fears that staff and students may have had about the proposed use of new technologies in the building by providing information on how the library collection would be organised in the New Library using a mixture of open access and the planned automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS).
  
  Professor Steven Schwartz, University Vice-Chancellor, opened the evening along with Superchip 57. Presentations by Maxine Brodie, University Librarian, and Christine Kwong, project architect from Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp (fjmt), provided interesting background to this project and gave an insight into the developed design for the Library.  Information from these presentations will be made available shortly. Library staff, architects and consultants were on-hand to answer questions. Guests were also treated to a creative arrangement of food presented using the “robot theme” by U&MQ Chef, Peter Brewty
• View Robot Party photos