Construction of the new library building will begin in mid-2024. The city’s library service will begin moving from its current location into its new temporary home on the ground floor of Council’s Administration building early next year.
The existing location will close briefly as books and equipment are transferred between the two premises, with the Administration building having recently undergone renovations in order to house the interim library where Council expects the service to reopen in the new space in February.
“The new library project has effectively been in the works for almost 10 years, so it’s very exciting for both Council and the community to see it finally move forward,” Mayor Tom Kennedy said.
“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, added that due to the Administration building’s reduced space, the library wouldn’t be able to operate at the same capacity, though stressed 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. But we’ve maintained a big focus on ensuring there is plenty of space for kids and family programs,” he said.
“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.”
