Newcastle City Library

Newcastle City Library was completely rebuilt as part of a £40.2m Private Finance Initiative scheme. The old building was closed in September 2006 and later demolished. The previous 1960s structure was unsuited to modern needs, so Newcastle City Council wanted to build a replacement. It found a private finance initiative (PFI) the only viable route. The six-storey library opened in February 2009 and houses 400,000 volumes on 13km of shelving in 8,300m2 of floor space. It also offers creche facilities, a 180-seat performance space, wi-fi internet access, a cafe and meeting rooms for community groups. All books, CDs and DVDs can be self-issued by customers.

Key Services

  • Network Switches
  • Wireless LAN
  • VoIP Telephony
  • Network Cabling
  • UPS

Project Overview

Aceda were appointed as a sub-contractor and were responsible for the design, installation and support of the complete IT infrastructure used to support the library applications, which included:

  • Network Switches: 5500G series Gigabit core switches and 4500 series 10/100mbps edge switches provided a resilient backbone infrastructure to provide network connectivity to each of the edge devices
  • Wireless LAN: wireless LAN system was deployed on site. Managed by wireless LAN controllers the access points provided wireless LAN coverage through the building
  • VOIP Telephony: The IP telephone system provided the client with the flexibility and functionality that was needed to meet the clients requirements for business continuity
  • Network Cabling System: Comprising of two server rooms connected together with resilient OM3 fibre optic cables and Excel Category 6 UTP RJ45 outlets to each of the 1300no edge devices
  • UPS: The server rooms are supported by APC 2200VA UPS units to minimise downtime in the event of power outage

Customer Testimonial

“We have been working with Aceda for a number of years now.  This project was always going to be challenging as it incorporated cabling, switches, wireless LAN, IP telephony and a wireless communication system.  It is essential for us to trust our sub-contractors and Aceda did not let us down.  Aceda approached the project in a positive and flexible manner to ensure the client’s objectives were achieved.  The project was delivered on time and to budget”.

Andrew Ormond, Project Manager SES Limited