There’s welcome news for book lovers and community users in Cowes.
Cowes Library will reopen at 10am on Monday, 2nd June, following a period of improvement works made possible by Arts Council England funding.
Repairs and upgrades completed
The refurbishment, funded through the Libraries Improvement Fund, has enabled essential repairs and upgrades to the building.
The changes mark the start of a fresh chapter for the much-valued local library, which plays a central role in the Cowes community.
Back to regular hours, with more to come
From reopening, the library will resume its regular opening hours.
Although this phase of work is nearly finished, further improvements are already planned, including the installation of a fully accessible toilet later in the year.
While staff are preparing to restart the usual programme of events and activities, visitors are advised that toilet facilities will remain unavailable until the next phase of work is complete.
Successful pop-up service at the Beckford Centre
During the closure, a temporary library service ran from the Beckford Centre, kindly hosted by the Cowes Heritage and Community Group.
Over eight weeks, the pop-up proved a great success, attracting nearly 2,000 visitors.
The pop-up will close at 1pm on Friday, 30th May, and will not open on Saturday 31st May, allowing time to prepare the main library for reopening.
Looking ahead
Library Supervisor Adam Gaterell said,
“We were really grateful to be able to continue serving our customers at the Beckford Centre throughout the building works.
“Now we can’t wait to get back into the newly improved library, resume our full service, welcome back regular customers — and hopefully join up some new ones!”
