A refurbishment project is well underway at Weymouth Library. Dorset Council is working with partners and other agencies to bring together a range of services and teams into one shared building, as a ‘library and learning centre’. The library building in Great George Street in the town centre is being adapted to offer space for:
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- The town’s library
- Skills & Learning – the local Adult Learning provider which offers a variety of high quality courses and learning opportunities to the local community and training opportunities to local employers.
- Community Resource Team (mental health) – part of Weymouth & Portland Community Mental Health Team, who facilitate attendance at a range of social, vocational and educational activities to aid recovery
- Citizens Advice – providing free, confidential and independent advice to help people overcome their problems.
Work is progressing well and the areas on the first floor are now complete. Some of the new spaces are being used to temporarily house other parts of the library while works continue throughout the rest of the building. The Adult Skills and Learning team will be moving in to the newly created classrooms ready for September.
Citizen’s Advice has moved into the main building and have a presence on the main reception desk. More areas will be dedicated to this service once the ground floor works are complete.
The next phase of works will see the creation of several small meeting/interview rooms, a new helpdesk, and an all-new children’s zone. A dedicated section for young people will include a relaxed environment for study and reading.
So that we cause as little disruption as possible to everyone wanting to use the library while the works are taking place, we’ve had to make a few changes to our usual schedules and use of the space. During the next phase, the children’s zone will be closed from Monday 29 April and will reopen on Thursday 9 May. A limited selection of children’s books will be available during this time, and the Rhyme Time sessions will also be cancelled for this short period. There will also be a small reduction in the stock of general books, but the more popular titles will remain in place.
Over the next 3 months, new furniture, carpeting and decoration will put the finishing touches to the spaces creating a more vibrant and exciting feel to the library, while at the same time keeping a calming, safe space for everyone to enjoy and learn in.
The benefits of this project will provide easier access to services as they are based in one building, at a central location with good public transport links.
Find out more about the library at www.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/libraries.
