Acton Town Hall and Northolt libraries, and Southall Library at the Dominion Centre are to be given a £900,000 refurbishment to create spaces for community and cultural events.
They will continue to offer everything you would expect in a library, including books, study space, online access and activities such as story time for children. But their layouts will change to make them more flexible and able to also offer spaces available for hire by the community.
Each library will be designed to have a modern, flexible look and feel with lots of natural light. Changes include mobile bookshelves replacing traditional fixed shelves so that they can be moved around to create space for cultural events, performances, meetings and community groups.
Technology will also be upgraded at the libraries as part of the improvements. Visitors will still be able to use the libraries’ computers and tablets or bring their own devices and use extra digital plug-in points being installed.
Temporary closure
To enable the improvements to take place, Acton and Northolt libraries will be closed from Monday 4 November until March 2025, but they will move to smaller temporary new homes.
Library users will be able to borrow and return from a selection of the most popular books for children and adults at the temporary libraries and opening hours have been extended at Northolt Leisure Centre Library to accommodate residents who would normally use Northolt Library.
Acton Library
Acton’s temporary library will be on the ground floor of the same building in Acton High Street. Library users will be able to collect reserved items from the temporary location. A few public computers will also be available for use as needed.
Babies and toddlers’ will still be able to enjoy Bounce & Rhyme sessions, which will be held in Community Room 1 on the second floor, from Friday 8 November until the end of March 2025, every Friday from 10am to 12 noon.
Northolt
A temporary cabin will be put up in the car park of Northolt Library, in Church Road, and staff will be on hand to help visitors. Users can choose from a smaller selection of the most popular books and quick-pick options. Opening hours at Northolt Leisure Centre Library have been extended to accommodate people who would normally use Northolt Library. Extra PCs are also available at the leisure centre library for visitors.
Improvements will also be made to the underutilised foyer in the Dominion Centre, Southall in The Green. As well as creating more space available for hire for community use, a new meeting room and kitchenette is being added to Southall library.
The improvements are being funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocated to Ealing Council by the government.
Blerina Hashani, the council’s cabinet member for thriving communities, said: “We want to continue supporting our libraries to be vibrant and inviting places for the community, which is why we’re making this significant investment in them.
“Books will always be at the heart of our libraries but by making the spaces more flexible they can provide so much more, from entertainment, drama performances on a stage in the library to community meetings or celebrations.”
Customers will still be able to use any of the borough’s libraries and have access to the 24/7 online resources, be able to order books online.
Further Information on library opening hours during the improvements are available by visiting the page for your specific library.
