Reading's new £8.6m Central Library set to open next week
The state-of-the-art facility at the Civic Offices in Bridge Street will welcome visitors from June 18, marking a new chapter for library services in the town
The opening of a new multi-million-pound library in Reading town centre is just days away.
A new home for the Central Library is being created at the Reading Borough Council offices in Bridge Street.
The project involves the moving of books, IT equipment and other library services into the office building as part of a £8.6 million project.
The new library will open on Thursday, June 18.
From then on, people will be able to access library services from 9am to 5pm on Mondays and Fridays, 9am to 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 10am to 3pm on Saturdays.
The library will be closed on Wednesdays and Sundays.
The creation of the new library and upgrades to the building, called the civic offices, were enabled after the council successfully bid for Levelling Up funding from the previous Conservative government in January 2023.
The project clears the way for the former Central Library building in Kings Road to be repurposed.
Library services ended at the original building on Monday, May 11.
Liz Terry (Labour, Coley), the council leader, said: “We have been working hard to create a spacious library filled with books residents want to read, as well as work and study stations.
“This is a new chapter for library services in the town at a new location, and we are investing to ensure our libraries are delivering for everyone in our town.
“Our libraries are not just here to lend books, they are busy, vibrant, crucial centres of activity.
“We can’t wait to share the new Central Library with you.”