£60m library project starting to take shape (From Worcester News)

£60m library project starting to take shape

1:10am Friday 17th September 2010 in News By David Paine, @davidpaineWN #worcsnews

RESOURCE CENTRE: Construction work on all five levels of Worcester’s new £60m library and history centre is now nearing completion. It is due to be opened in July 2012. Picture by John Anyon.

CONSTRUCTION work on all five levels of Worcester’s new £60 million library and history centre is now nearing completion.

Seven strongrooms large enough to hold all the county’s archives – the collection, which has a 10-mile radius, includes manuscripts, books, maps, plans, photographs and audiovisual material – in one place for the first time ever have already been built on the site off The Butts.

The centre, a joint project between Worcestershire County Council and the University of Worcester, will include one of the largest children’s libraries in the UK.

It will be the size of a small primary school. The Worcestershire Hub customer service centre will also be housed there and all facilities will be available to members of the public.

Kathy Kirk, member of the project board and strategic library and learning manager at Worcestershire County Council, said: “This isn’t just another library or an updated record office and history centre, or a relocated customer service centre – it’s an entirely new way of integrating the facilities that will really make a difference to Worcestershire residents.

“People will be able to use the rich array of resources and staff expertise in one place for the first time in Europe. This is such an exciting project.

“Visitors can delve into learning, use the building as a meeting place, borrow books and gain a wide range of information.

“There is something for everyone and so many different reasons for coming into the centre.”

The centre, which will create hundreds of jobs, is due to be opened to the public in July 2012.