Inside the 'New' Peterborough Central Library as it goes out on loan

The ‘old’ building is going under a £6 million refurbishment to ensure it can stand the test of time.

But it closed last week, with a new, temporary location for the library opening at Northminster House – less than a two minute walk away.

Staff have been working hard over the past week to get the new library ready – moving hundreds of boxes of books, and filling the shelves with thousands and thousands of items – always using the Dewey Decimal System, of course.

Artwork has been created at the entrance to the library – giving classic books a Peterborough twist.

Northminster Library (Ground Floor, East Wing, Northminster House, Peterborough PE1 1YN), which is located just across the road from Central Library, will open on 9 November, and will remain home to the library until March 2028.

The short walk between the old Central Library and the new building is easy to find, thanks to book markings put on the pavement.

All the current services provided by Central Library including book loans, photocopying, printing, access to public computers, group events and activities, will move to Northminster Library, with the exception of the study rooms.

The archives service has also moved.

While many of the books from Central Library have made the short move, some have been spread out through local libraries across the city, while others have been put into safe storage.

Councillor Zameer Ali, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Safety said: “Central Library is a well-used, well-loved library and it is important we invest in it now to protect its future. The building has not had any major investment for over 30 years.

“This is an opportunity for us to modernise our library so it meets the needs of today’s school children, students, families and other users and provides a library service fit for the future."

The refurbishment project is funded by the city council’s Regeneration Fund including monies from the Government’s Towns Fund., Along with Central Library, there are nine other libraries in Peterborough – Bretton Library, Dogsthorpe Library, Eye Library, Hampton Library, Orton Library, Stanground Library, Thorney Library, Werrington Library, and Woodston Library.

To keep up to date with the Central Library project visit https://www.peterborough.gov.uk/libraries-leisure-culture-facilities/peterborough-libraries-and-archives