A temporary library will open in Barrow tomorrow to replace the fire damaged Roose Library.
Roose Library, on Roose Road, was closed in May last year after a suspected arson attack.
Westmorland and Furness Council said since its closure, it had been considering a number of options for a temporary library, while it engaged with people about a long-term, permanent library offer.
The temporary library options have included looking at alternative sites and premises and holding discussions with operators of community facilities in Roose about sharing space in their buildings.
The discussions with community organisations were ongoing, the authority said, including talks around lease arrangements and any necessary compliance work, and these opportunities with community organisations in Roose were still being explored.
In the meantime, Roose Temporary Library @ Barrow Park will open its doors at the ATP building next to Barrow Park Leisure Centre tomorrow, Wednesday January 15.
The library will be open for 35 hours a week, including Saturday mornings.
There will be a children’s area, access to IT facilities including wifi, laptops and printers, and it will be able to offer activities for all ages, including Read, Rhyme and Play, Storycraft, Games Club and the Ancestry Group.
Library staff will be available to support with IT help and other enquiries and it is intended to continue building the range of activities according to customer feedback.
A council spokesman said: “We have been working hard to ensure that any temporary library provision would work as well as possible for our communities and library users and we have been looking for solutions that can sit alongside and complement existing community facilities and amenities.
“We recognise the importance of providing accessible library services and we are continuing our discussions with other community providers about working with them to further extend the temporary replacement library services in Roose.
“However, once the nearby ATP building became available late last year – after refurbishment work following the council taking over management of the site from the previous operator – it provided an option to re-establish some of the Roose Library services that had been lost following the fire.
“With regard to the insurance situation with the Roose library building, the insurers have requested clarity around the long-term options and location of the service before being able to conclude the claim.
“We intend to work with the local community as we develop long-term, permanent options and to ensure we understand what they want from their library service.
“We will be engaging with the community as we develop these permanent options over the coming weeks and months and once a long-term proposal has been established, a final insurance settlement will be agreed.
“We recognise this has taken time, but the opening of Roose Temporary Library @ Barrow Park is a positive step and we thank library users for their understanding and patience during this period.’’
