The UQ Library together with the Faculties of Arts and Social and Behavioural Sciences are pleased to announce that the newly refurbished area on Level One of the Social Sciences and Humanities Library has a new name: The Hive.

The Hive was suggested by students Tara Burton and Shaun Restorick-Barton, who entered a competition to name the space.

Tara chose the name because Arts, Social Science and Humanities students are usually people and group-oriented and a hive is a busy, collaborative, collective workspace/place.

Shaun said he chose the name because it evokes a sense of unified, busy team-work and for the ‘hive mind’ concept, a group of people thinking and working in units together.

The space contains a mix of spaces and fittings which are flexible and provide for both independent and group learning, together with space where academic staff can meet with their students.

It features bays of new Apple iMacs, a variety of learning spaces with group tables – many with sound pods for listening to audio-visual material, lounge seats, larger casual seating areas, and an expanded reading room.

There are also new areas where library users can interact with library staff if they require assistance. Library staff can assist users with membership and payments enquiries at a comfortable, dedicated desk. Library users needing research assistance can meet with liaison librarians at two new research stations. Researchers can drop in for help or they can make an appointment with their liaison librarian by asking at the research help desk or by contacting them directly. The Library website provides contact details and liaison areas of expertise for each of the Library’s information professionals.

The new collaborative space was open for student use in the first week of Semester One 2010.