The $7.48 million redevelopment and upgrade of the Central Ballarat Library is almost complete, with City of Ballarat Library staff beginning to shift all necessary equipment and about 75,000 library resources back into the Doveton Street facility.
Building contractors H Troon have handed the facility back to the City of Ballarat, with only a few finishing touches still being made internally. These works include cladding of the new internal staircase, installation of the library self-check system and installation of the tiered seating in the Atrium.
The Central Library will re-open to the public in mid-March.
The Ballarat Library at Town Hall - the temporary pop-up library that was installed in November 2022 - will close on 12 March to allow for the books and other resources to be returned to the main library location.
Following the closure of the temporary site, there will likely be a short period in which there are no library services available in Ballarat Central, however residents can still access the Sebastopol and Wendouree facilities, which will remain open as normal during this time.
The Ballarat Library at Town Hall has proved a popular alternative during the redevelopment works, averaging about 1,100 visits per week.
When the Central Ballarat Library re-opens, staff will be operating a reduced programming schedule for a few months to allow Library staff to fully set up at the new facility - as such, some programs that community members regularly attend may be temporarily unavailable.
The City of Ballarat contributed $6.98 million towards the redevelopment project, with the State Government funding $500,000 from the Living Libraries Infrastructure Program.
City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said it was exciting to see the project moving forward.
"Once the Central Ballarat Library is complete and operational, we'll be able to offer our community a bigger and more exciting library space," Cr Hudson said.
"While there will be some disruption to library services in Ballarat Central in the coming weeks, I'd encourage all community members to make the most of our other fantastic libraries across the municipality."
