Central Library improvements

New entrance, new windows, new name - North Lincolnshire Central Library.

During 2005, the central library had a makeover, both inside and out. We invite you to come and see the new-look library for yourself. It is free to join and everyone is welcome. Here is a summary of the changes:

• We redesigned the inside of the library to improve access and make it easier for you to find what you want
• We made some alterations to the outside of the building to make it more welcoming
• The library will now be known as North Lincolnshire Central Library - as this is what it really is. It is there for all the people in North Lincolnshire, not just those who live in the town.

Read on for more details...

Inside the library

• When the library was built in 1974, it was designed in such a way that nearly all the books were on the upper floors
• The ground floor housed a large back-room office
• Customers had to climb the stairs or take the lift to get to the books
• In June 2005, we moved the fiction, large print and the children’s library down to the ground floor. This means that access to the books has improved for most people
• Some novels are now shelved by genre (for example crime, sci-fi) instead of A-Z. This is in response to popular demand
• There is still an A-Z sequence for other fiction
• There is a new Quick Pick section to help you choose books when you are in a hurry
• The first floor now combines the Reference Library with non-fiction books which may be borrowed, so if you are researching or studying, everything you need will be on one floor.

Outside the library

• We have taken down the dark glass pyramid which made it difficult to see if the library was open
• We have installed a new entrance with new, wider automatic doors. It is lighter and airier than the old entrance
• We have put some windows in at ground floor level either side of the new entrance. This lets some natural daylight in
• We have removed the shrubbery and half-height ornamental walls. This area was a litter trap and it attracted rats
• There are new handrails leading up to the library, to help people with mobility problems
• There is now proper parking for bicycles.

Scunthorpe Central Library becomes North Lincolnshire Central Library

We are renaming the library because it is a centre of excellence for all local people - not just those who live in the town.

• All local libraries have books and computers. But the Central Library also holds more specialist materials such as: an extensive local studies collection; family history resources; business information; multi-cultural stock; study aids; language courses; maps; directories; back copies of newspapers; CDs for hire – and much, much more
• The library has 100,000 books and other items
• The new name will reflect the role of the library more accurately than the old name did

Historical background

• The first local public library opened in 1904 in the old Station Road, Scunthorpe
• Before the present library was built, there was a library on Market Hill
• Dame Joan Plowright, Lady Olivier opened the present library in 1974. It cost more than £500,000 to build.

What's where at Scunthorpe Central Library?

Ground floor

Popular stock and quick pick

On this floor, you will find:

• Fiction
  - including quick choice for people choosing in a hurry
  - new layout includes separate shelving for some genres
  - other fiction shelved in A-Z order by authors' surname
• Large print
• Talking books
• CDs
• Multicultural
• Express computers for quick access to emails
• People's Network computers for Internet and email
• Online Public Access Catalogues (OPACs)
• Children's library
  - including computers for the under 12s
• Kidslincs
• Tourist information

First floor

Reference and study library

Non-fiction available for loan is also on this floor, so if you are researching or studying, most of what you need will be on the same floor. Here, you will also find:

• Reference books available for use in the library only
• Local and family studies
• Non-fiction available for loan
• Scores
• Language courses
• Multicultural
• People's Network computers for Internet and email
• Photocopier
• Fax
• Daily newspapers
• Microfilm readers
• Online Public Access Catalogues (OPAC)

As most of the books have recently moved, you may need help to find what you need until you get used to the new lay-out. Please do ask the staff for help.

For further information, please contact Janet Stopper at North Lincolnshire Central Library on 01724 860161 or email libraryenquiries@northlincs.gov.uk.