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Busy library reopens with a buzz after revamp

Owen Sennitt,in Norwichand
Neve Gordon-Farleigh
Aimee Dexter/BBC Kerry Murray, a woman who is standing inside a library in front of a grey book shelf which has several books on it. She has shoulder length blonde hair and is wearing a yellow and black T-shirt and a black lanyard. She is looking directly at the camera and smiling and has a pair of glasses over her eyes.Aimee Dexter/BBC
Kerry Murray hopes the improvements made will keep the library going long into the future

Workers at a city's library were met with a round of applause when the building reopened for the first time following a major £1.3m refurbishment to mark its 25th year.

The Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library closed in April and was stripped back.

Visitors queued outside The Forum building, where it is based, ready for the reopening at 10:00 BST.

Kerry Murray, head of libraries operations for Norfolk County Council, said: "The crowd waiting for us to open our doors and applauding when we opened says it all — people have missed it... the whole library is a buzz."

One of the biggest priorities has been increasing accessibility throughout the library and reducing the height of the bookshelves.

Speaking to Kayleigh Poacher on BBC Radio Norfolk, Murray explained that the shelving was "really old" and had been moved to comply with social distancing during the Covid-19 lockdowns.

"We need to keep up with the times and, what we have done, I hope will keep us sustainable into the future."

A pop-up temporary space was opened for people to still borrow and return items during the improvement work.

Norfolk County Council Blue sofa chairs line the first floor of the Norfolk and Norwich Millennium Library creating a new study space. The chairs are pushed up against the glass balcony with a table in between and plug sockets. The area looks over the rest of The Forum and outside the large glass building into the city of Norwich.Norfolk County Council

Susan Debbage, from Norwich, noticed the new shelves immediately.

"This seems lovely," she said.

Jane Richardson, 69, from Norwich, said the new library felt more open and brighter and had a "nice feel when you walk in".

Owen Sennitt/BBC Rows of book shelves, and colourful books, which are about the chest height of an adult. There is a grey patterned carpet. There are wood panels on a wall.Owen Sennitt/BBC
Beth Southard pointed out that the library had reopened in time for the summer reading challenge with lots of new children's books

Improvements have also been made to the children's areas on the ground floor.

For Beth Southard, the children's and young people manager for Norfolk County Council, the opening has come just in time for the summer.

"This is what we live for," she said.

"Seeing all the families sitting together, sharing books, being excited over all the new books we've been hoarding for months, wanting to share."

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