Bill Bryson renames University library and opens new wing

New East Wing is part of £22m investment in Durham University's modern and historic libraries. Bill Bryson returns to Durham University today, November 27, to rename the main library and open its new wing. The opening of the £11m East Wing at the Bill Bryson library makes the main library building 42 per cent bigger and provides 500 new study spaces across four floors. The development is part of Gateway, Durham University's major £60m estates project which incorporates a new Law School and a dedicated building for student support services, The Palatine Centre. Bryson, who served as the University's Chancellor from April 2005 to December 2011, is making his first visit back to the University since he bid farewell last year. He said: "As somebody who has been privileged enough to have books at the centre of my life, I can't think of any greater honour than to give my name to Durham University's library and the pursuit of learning for generations to come. "I once wrote that of all the things I am not very good at, living in the real world is perhaps the most outstanding.