Scarborough Library to reopen its doors after revamp
It'll welcome people back next week after a £450,000 revamp
Scarborough Library will reopen its doors to customers next week following a £450,000 revamp to modernise facilities and create a brighter space.
Library users will be welcomed into the new-look building next Monday (22nd May), which includes a new IT area and community and exhibition space, as well as new shelving and furniture, device charging points, redecoration and carpeting.
The children’s area has been relocated to the front of the building into a larger, brighter area with better facilities for children and families. Funding was also set aside for a range of new books.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for libraries, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “We can’t wait to welcome our loyal customers and staff into the impressive, revamped building.
“Scarborough Library attracts more than 10,000 visits every month and we hope the improvements will entice even more. It has been closed since mid-February to facilitate the work and we know many local people have missed their visits.
“The improvements will cater for the ever-changing needs of the community, and it promises to serve generations to come.”
Events and activities for under-fives will kick-off in the opening week with story times at 11am on Mondays, rhyme times at 11am on Wednesdays, and stay and play at 11am on Fridays.
On Wednesdays, the Knit and Natter club will meet from 2pm to 4pm, and the Stitch Club from 4pm to 6pm. A breastfeeding clinic will be held on Fridays from 9.30am to 11am and Saturday socials will restart from 10am to 2pm with games, Lego and a chat.
Scarborough Library started life as the Oddfellows Hall in 1853. By 1856, it had become the Scarborough Mechanics Institute with free public lectures and newspaper reading rooms, and it was open late so those finishing shifts had the opportunity to visit.
It remained the Mechanics Institute until 1929 when the Scarborough Corporation took on the building. It became a public library in 1931 and its popularity soon increased. In 1936, houses on Vernon Place were purchased and the premises extended.
In 2003, it was refurbished, with the introduction of an IT suite, a lift to the concert room and meeting spaces, and the old wooden shelving was replaced.
To carry out the latest improvements, the library secured £200,000 from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sports/Arts Council England Libraries Improvement Fund.
This, backed by a further £250,000 investment from the former North Yorkshire County Council, funded the reconfiguration of the ground floor to create a brighter, more attractive space.
The improvements were informed by hundreds of comments and suggestions for the new layout and services from local people and partner organisations.