FIRST LOOK: Inside new $17 million CBD library

It will be the first building to open in the Nicholas Street Precinct. Here’s a first look inside

The new Ipswich Central Library will open on December 7. Library officer Sarah Francis.

THE NEW Ipswich Central Library will open next week and with a dedicated children’s facility set to open nearby in 2021, it is aimed at luring in teenagers and adults.

It will be the first building to open in the Nicholas Street Precinct.

Built at a cost of about $17 million, the Ipswich Central Library will welcome the public for the first time on Monday.

First look at Ipswich Central Library

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Deputy mayor and Ipswich Central Redevelopment Committee chair Marnie Doyle said the library, which opens out onto Tulmur Place, has a wide range of things on offer.

“(It) has everything our community has come to love about the Ipswich Libraries experience from the cutting-edge technology in our makerspace, to our signature marketplace collection and stimulating public programming,” she said.

“As part of our mission to build better libraries, we are also introducing some new exciting features to our Ipswich Central Library including after-hours smart lockers and curated coffee table book selections.”

Cr Doyle said the new library is specifically geared towards adults and young adults.

Council says its new children’s library, which will be in the new council administration building, is the first purpose-built library in Australia for kids.

It is set to open mid-2021.

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An interim children’s library recently opened on South St.

“Through these new libraries, we are creating a better overall library experience for the Ipswich community,” Cr Doyle said.

“Our libraries are places for everyone to come together, and while the resources and services at the new Ipswich Central Library will be geared towards the library’s adult customers, children will always be welcome.

“I am looking forward to joining some lucky Ipswich Central Library members for a sneak peek of the new library this Saturday in the Nicholas Street Precinct ahead of its opening on Monday.”

The Ipswich Central Library will be open seven days a week, from 9am-2pm on weekends, 9am to 5pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and 9am to 8pm on Thursdays.

Read more stories by Lachlan McIvor here.

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