VIDEO: New chapter for Chichester's library
Chichester Library has been given a brand-new look and now has improved access for people with disabilities and parents with pushchairs.
Click the green play button to see inside the new-look library.
Library users will be able to step through the doors on Monday (March 23) when the service reopens after a three-week closure.
The Observer was given a special preview of the transformed library in Tower Street by area librarian Karen Wallace.
She said: "The library has been given a wonderful contemporary look with bright decoration throughout.
"The extension, which incorporates a brand-new lift, has cost 600,000 and it means all library users have exactly the same access to the building, whereas before disabled visitors were limited to the ground floor."
A further 100,000 has been spent on new lighting, extra books, seating, carpets and shelving.
The Help Point service, which was formerly based at Oriel Lodge in West Street, has also been transferred to the library, giving better-integrated information services for Chichester residents.
"We've been waiting for this revamp for quite some time, and now everything has come together it looks fantastic," said Mrs Wallace.
An extra 112sq metres of public-floor space has been created because of the lift extension which sits on the rear side of the building, which has allowed the children's library space to be expanded.
The layout of the main library, which opened in its Tower Street location 41 years ago, has been moved around to provide additional space for fiction books and to accommodate seating areas within the non-fiction area.
Updates to the IT facilities mean library users will have faster use of the public terminals and more access to the electronic libraries which store journals and encyclopedias.
Mrs Wallace added: "Some of our shelves were bowing under the weight of the books.
"Now we have movable shelf units enabling us to make a real feature of the library and use the middle ground-floor area as a venue for author readings and children's story-time.
"The library is now future-proof and I know all the staff who have worked so hard on the transformation can't wait for library users to come in and experience the new service for themselves."
City resident Susan Halpenny (61) stopped to peer through the library's windows as the finishing touches were being added.
She said: "Me and my friends cannot wait to get inside the library again. It is such a lovely building and from the looks of things the transformation will benefit everyone."
The library will officially reopen at 9am on Monday, March 23, after a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
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Weather for Chichester
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
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Temperature: 6 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: North west
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Temperature: 4 C to 10 C
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