The Greater Hamilton Library will be relocated to the Hamilton Performing Arts Centre (PAC) for the month of January to enable important refurbishment works to take place.
The refurbishment, made possible thanks to $121,000 in funding from the Victorian Government’s Living Libraries Infrastructure program and a $40,000 contribution from Council, aims to create a new and vibrant space which enhances browsing and collection accessibility for library users and improves design and layout.
Works will include new flooring, mobile shelving, painting, new customer service desk, new glass wall partition, and a revised layout which includes creation of a dedicated space for creative play.
The Living Libraries Infrastructure program is designed to assist Victorian Councils and regional libraries in the provision of high-quality and accessible public library facilities that support the role of public libraries in strengthening communities.
Library Services Coordinator Kelly Pitt-Lancaster said staff are very excited about the works taking place and reassures library patrons that the disruption to service will be minimal.
“While we understand this closure will have some impact on our community, we have planned for it to occur during our quietest period of the year to reduce service interruption for our customers and the community.
“All library services will be available from the temporary site at the PAC, although there will be some limitations with reduced computer access and reduction of books available on the floor. The after-hours chute will also unfortunately be unavailable during this time.
“We are really excited to see work finally commencing on the refurbishment. We will certainly be able to achieve a lot for our customers during this time and we are confident that the changes made will significantly improve our ability to deliver quality library services to our community,” Ms Pitt-Lancaster said.
Library members will have access to their accounts via the website as usual and all of our online resources will still be available www.centralhighlandslibraries.org.au
The library will close for the Christmas break on 23 December and reopen at the Hamilton PAC from 2 January 2018. The works are expected to take approximately one month.