New beginning for library after £325,000 makeover

HENLEY library has re-opened following a refurbishment.

The facility in Ravenscroft Road, which is run by Oxfordshire County Council, reopened on Tuesday.

Changes include new heating systems, lighting, double glazing, new furniture and dedicated work and study spaces with charging points.

A revised layout, a new children’s area and movable shelving will enable the library space to be expanded and used for different purposes.

The internal refurbishment of the library cost £325,000, which was funded by the community infrastructure levy from developments.

This was combined with funding for decarbonisation work, with a budget of £309,000 of which £95,000 was a government grant.

The work, which took four months to complete, was delivered by the council’s libraries and minor works teams.

Norman Topsom MBE, of Gainsborough Hill, uses the library’s microfiche to retrieve historic articles from the Henley Standard, old Reading Mercury and Henley Advertiser twice a week. Mr Topsom said: “It’s bright, it’s airy and the whole atmosphere is welcoming, not to mention the staff as well. I couldn’t believe it when I walked in here.

“It’s a credit to the town, especially when you hear of libraries closing, they spent a lot of money on this library. When you look all around you it is really lovely.

“I like all of it to be honest, it is very nice, the whole library itself. It was not as bright as this before. All the windows with the light coming in are really a credit. You could sit here all day.”

Mayor Rory Hunt said: “This is a fantastic new facility for the town and a great improvement on the old one.

“We are really grateful to everyone who has been involved, it is a really lovely community space and they have designed it in a way that you can have proper community events.

“It has been designed for a complete range of groups. You have got this wonderful central, well-lit children’s area and an excellent study space, which I am pleased to say is already being used.

“They have managed to do this in a way that retains all their stock. It is really innovative and very well executed.”

Cllr Hunt’s mother, Lindsay, who regularly uses the library, said: “I love the way they have incorporated Henley in the design. The little boats in the children’s section, those sorts of things. I think it’s fantastic. This new, lighter space, this is a really nice place to be.”

The library now also features a bookable meeting pod, which is climate-controlled and soundproof.

As part of the work, most of the furniture in the library is now movable which means events of up to 100 people can now be held in the space compared to 30 people before.

Assistant manager Peter Michalica said: “The library is now more composed; it is not cluttered, everything has its purpose and is there for a reason.

“Before it wasn’t very smart, the carpet and many of the shelves were original, there were small refurbishments along the way.

“But in this one every part of the library was touched and changed. We now have new computers which are faster, and we have kept all the resources we had previously.”

Keith Phillips, manager of the library, said: “You walk in and now it is a lot more welcoming, calmer, more comfortable and spacious.

“All the feedback has been positive all day; we have had an overwhelmingly positive response. Most people are saying they are impressed.”

Councillor Stefan Gawrysiak, who is a town, district and county councillor, said: “It is absolutely fabulous, it is wonderful.

“The whole building has been redesigned to make it more eco-friendly but the design I think is just absolutely awesome, the little pods for research around the corner are great.

“The painting, the design of the children’s area with the trees, all credit should go to the county council officers for delivering this and getting it over the lines. To deliver a scheme like this is really top quality, it is brilliant.”