TWO million visitors have now passed through the doors of the Hive in Worcester since the new £60 million library and history centre opened two years ago.

Thousands of people visit the library each day, and an average of 924,877 visits take place each year - almost three times the amount of people who went to the old Worcester Library.

This is the second milestone the Hive has achieved in the second half of this year. In July it issued its two millionth book, a romantic World War Two novel ‘Nine Days’ by Toni Jordan.

Anne Hannaford, director of information and learning services at the University of Worcester, said: “These two fantastic milestones we have achieved for visiting and book borrowing have proven that The Hive has successfully accomplished our goal to provide an inspiring and new experience for both students and the public.

"The Hive has re-written the book on how a modern-day library can benefit society. The commitment from the University and the County Council has given our visitors some wonderful opportunities to share resources, expertise, and enjoy the many things The Hive has to offer."

As a joint venture between Worcestershire County Council and the University of Worcester the Hive was the first of its kind in Europe.

It has so far received and been shortlisted for 47 national and international awards and currently the University is shortlisted for The Times Higher Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community through its part in the development.

Kathy Kirk, strategic libraries and learning manager at Worcestershire County Council, added: “The achievement of this amazing building has been recognised by numerous awards we have won for the design and use of the building, as well as its environmental credentials and the contribution The Hive makes to the community.

“The statistics for the two years the building has been open shows the imaginative use of services have been a great success.”