Central library reopens with its reading room restored

The central library reopened to the public on Thursday after a restoration that lasted two years and three months. About 400 people were waiting on the steps when the doors opened at nine o'clock, and the first loan of the day was a book of local walks.

The main result of the work is the return of the reading room on the upper floor. The room, with its glass roof and long oak tables, had been closed for almost thirty years after water damaged the ceiling. It now seats 120 readers.

What has changed

The building has a lift for the first time and a level entrance on the north side. The children's library has moved from the basement to the ground floor, next to a new room for school visits.

The stock has grown as well. The library now holds 310,000 volumes on open shelves, against 240,000 before the closure, and the local history collection has its own room with staff on hand four days a week. Opening hours are longer than before: until eight in the evening on weekdays and, for the first time, on Sunday afternoons.

The cost and the timetable

The restoration cost 19 million, paid for by the city and a heritage grant in roughly equal parts. It finished four months late, mainly because the replacement glass for the roof had to be made to order.

The temporary branch in the old post office closes on Saturday. Books borrowed there can be returned to the central library, and no fines will be charged on loans made during the move.