Information on Loughborough

New library opens in Oadby

Posted on 04/11/2008

A state of the art new £1 million library is about to open to the public in The Parade in Oadby.

It is the 10th new library to be built by Leicestershire County Council and will be open for business from 9.00am on Wednesday, 12 November.

The building is about twice as big as the old library and has improved facilities including a community meeting room, hot drinks, areas for teenagers and children including a listening post and ICT facilities. The library is also Wi-Fi enabled.

Building work at the new library cost £910,000 and it is being kitted out with new stock worth £60,000.  Opening hours have increased from 52 hours a week to 65.

Ernie White, Cabinet member for Community Services, said: “We are delighted with the new library, the tenth new County library and our first major library to be opened since 2003.

The new facilities at the library and the range of services on offer mean this new base at The Parade can really become a focal point for the whole community.”

For further information contact Hilary Ward, Area Community Manager on 0116 305 3689 or email hward@leics.gov.uk

http://www.leics.gov.uk/oadby_library

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Step up your learning with Leicestershire LibrariesBackground notes

Libraries across Leicestershire are seeing an increase in visitors as the UK finds itself in a ‘credit crunch’ and possibly heads into recession. Traditionally, people turn to public libraries during hard economic times - for cheaper entertainment, to help with employment, for free access to computers and to help them save money and be ‘greener’ by borrowing free books rather than buying.

Leicestershire Libraries have seen vast improvements recently as part of the £8 million transformation programme and staff are inviting the public to step into their local library to discover all the up to date services and facilities available for no or little cost.

Visitors will be supported by libraries over the coming months in their health, wellbeing, career prospects, lifestyle and general enjoyment by:

  • Stepping up to savings and improving finances a free internet service where all the consumer price comparison and information websites are available, there are free books to borrow and you can have a cheap night in with a DVD that you can keep for a week
  • Stepping Up to success and improving job prospects with free newspapers, free internet facilities and a large choice of titles for all sorts of learning and development
  • Stepping Out - alone or with friends and family to free events ’’
  • Stepping Into the library’s welcoming surroundings where you can read all the latest best sellers for free and get up to date DVDs and audiobooks.
  • Stepping Up to a challenge - train your brain with crosswords, Sudoku and general knowledge quizzes.

Details of library developments can be found on www.leics.gov.uk/libraries

Details of events can be found on www.leics.gov.uk/events

Facts and figures about Leicestershire Libraries for 2007 2008

  • 55 libraries
  • 91,858 hours open
  • 3,410,133 visitors
  • 6 Mobile libraries
  • 412 PCs
  • 22,753 DVDs to rent  
  • 712,026 books to borrow