Brownless Biomedical Library

• Students are welcome to study in any of the University libraries. Biomedical students may prefer the ERC and Baillieu libraries, which house the most thematically relevant collections, and are most closely located to the Medical Precinct.
• Numerous alternative informal study spaces are available throughout Parkville, including the Student Pavilion, Arts and Cultural Building, Building 168 and Building 189.
• Additional informal study spaces for MDHS students will be created in the Alan Gilbert Building on Level 1, and additional project rooms and an Indigenous student study space will also be created by MDHS. These spaces are expected to be completed Semester 1 2025.

The Brownless Biomedical Library closed permanently to staff, students and the public on Friday 21^st of June 2024.

The Brownless site was identified in the Estate Master Plan as an ideal location to develop The Place for Indigenous Art and Culture, expected to open in mid-2027.  This important site, along with the extension of Professors’ Walk to the new Parkville Station on Grattan Street, provides connectivity, improved pedestrian access, campus wayfinding and a publicly accessible open space.

There are currently no plans to create a new Biomedical Library.

• High-Use collections have been relocated to the Baillieu Library’s High-Use area on the ground floor, with additional copies available at the ERC Library.
• Frequently used general collections will be relocated to the ERC Library. Infrequently used collections will be relocated to offsite storage, retrievable on request via the library catalogue within approximately 48 hours. This is complemented by access to digitised resources.
• The collection relocation process will commence immediately after closure of the Brownless Biomedical Library. Minimal disruption in access to collections is expected during this period. Please check the library catalogue for the most up-to-date location and instructions.

The Brownless Biomedical Library is expected to be removed during the Summer of 2024/2025 to ensure minimal disruption to the staff, student and visitor experience. Some early enabling works will commence in Semester 2 2024.

The Brownless Biomedical Library has limited architectural significance and was previously earmarked for removal in the University’s 2008 Master Plan. Constructed and designed by architect John Scarborough, the Brownless is a Postwar Modernist building with no social, historical, or aesthetic characteristics identified that elevate it above the large number of buildings constructed during this period.