The city’s library service is set to move into its temporary new home on the ground floor of Council’s Administration building early in the new year.
The Administration building has recently been undergoing renovations to house an interim library, and Council expects the service to reopen in the new space in February 2024.
The existing library will be briefly closed as books and equipment are transferred between the two premises.
Mayor Tom Kennedy said the temporary move would allow for construction of the new library building to begin in mid-2024.
“The new library project has effectively been in the works for almost ten years, so it’s very exciting for both Council and the community to see it finally move forward,” said Mayor Kennedy.
“We can’t give an exact date for the opening of the temporary library as there’s a lot of moving parts in this project, but staff are certainly aiming for February 2024.
“We’re also mindful of how important the library service is to the community, so staff will be doing all they can to speed up the move and keep the closure of the service to a bare minimum.”
Council’s General Manager, Jay Nankivell, said the library’s capacity would be somewhat reduced in its temporary new home due to reduced space, but added that community programs would be prioritised.
“We won’t be able to offer the same range of books and other resources – particularly our older stock – as we’ve had to put some resources into storage for the meantime,” he said.
“But we’ve maintained a big focus on ensuring there is plenty of space for kids and family programs.
“We’ll be able to release more information on programs and the temporary library’s overall capacity as things get clearer closer to the move, but for now we just want to reassure the community that the new library is finally happening, and ask that they be patient with us as things begin to roll out.”
For up to date information around the library move be sure to keep an eye the library Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/BHCityLibrary/
