Library booked in for short-term stay
Space to be borrowed from the Lagoon
Work will start on a new temporary Paisley Central Library at the town’s Lagoon Leisure Centre from Monday.
The library left its former home next to Paisley Museum in September when the building closed for a £42 million revamp to turn the museum into an international-class destination.
Library provision will eventually move to a new state- of - the- art learning and cultural hub being created in Paisley High Street.
Until this is complete in 2021, it will housed next to the Lagoon in Christie Street.
The building will take over part of the facility’s south car park and will hold the most popular items from the collection, as well as some public access PCs.
As a result, a number of car parking spaces within the Lagoon will be lost, but the nearby Bridge Street car park is available for public use.
Until the temporary library opens, a number of public-access PCs are also available for library users in the council office at 5a High Street.
The hugely-popular Bookbug sessions will move to the main Lagoon building until then.
The moves are part of the £100 million investment in venues and infrastructure over the next few years by Renfrewshire Council.
This is central to a wider plan to use the town’s unique heritage and cultural assets to transform its future.
The new learning and cultural hub will bring a building in the High Street that has been vacant for years back into use and create a modern flagship community learning hub for the whole of Renfrewshire, while also hosting the existing library collections.
Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, chair of Renfrewshire Leisure, said: “Over the next few years, the £100 million investment in Paisley’s venues will ensure that the future of some of our best-loved heritage buildings is preserved by turning them into modern community facilities.
“The new learning and cultural hub will be a digitally-connected space for residents of all ages when it opens its doors in 2021.
“Although the temporary library based at the Lagoon will be a smaller one, it will be set out so that the most popular items and services can be easily accessed.
“Before it opens this winter, there are lots of other ways for residents to access library services, either from our online catalogue, or by using our other libraries at Ralston, Ferguslie, Glenburn and Foxbar.”
The new learning and cultural hub is being supported by grant funding from the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.
The project is being delivered by the council in partnership with Hub West Scotland – part of a Scottish- wide Government initiative, led by the Scottish Futures Trust.
This public-private partnership aims to develop community infrastructure projects, providing value for money and community benefits for public-sector bodies.
The council’s investment in Paisley’s cultural infrastructure aims to build on the momentum of the town’s bid to be UK City of Culture 2021 by making it a key destination for visitors and events and equipping it to host an expansion of activity over the next few years.
Other big projects as part of the same programme include a £22 million transformation of the interior of Paisley Town Hall to create one of the West of Scotland’s key entertainment venues.
An upgrade of Paisley Arts Centre is also on the agenda alongside a major investment in town centre outdoor spaces and transport links . ● For more information on library services, visit www. renfrewshireleisure.com
Although smaller, the most popular library items will be easily accessible