STOURPORT Library’s new premises overlooking the town’s riverside has been met with positive reaction from users.

The ‘new chapter’ for the library began on Wednesday, March 25, when it reopened in the Civic Centre in New Street, just off Riverside Meadows, following the move from the County Buildings in Worcester Street.

Existing staff and facilities were transferred to the refurbished Civic Centre which is also being shared with the Coroner’s Office and Town Council, as part of a lively community hub. Library services at Stourport include a dedicated ‘teen area’ with its own computers.

Opening hours have been extended to include Wednesdays from 9am to 5.30pm, so the library is now open six days a week, including between 9am and 4pm on Saturdays.

It is also next to the Civic Theatre and Worcestershire County Council libraries manager, Jackie Passey, said that it was hoped to work with the theatre in the future to run joint events and activities.

Talking about the new location she said: “This is a positive move and we're now in a much lighter, brighter and nicer venue. There has been good feedback from the majority of users and the staff here are delighted.

"Things went quiet at around the time of the switch but it has picked up and been very busy over the past few days. The central location should bring more people in over the summer months as we are right next to Riverside Meadows, which is a popular visitor attraction.

"There are car parks all around us and we are hoping that shoppers taking advantage of free parking on Thursdays will come and use the library at the same time.

"We are doing everything we can to promote what we have here such as the courses we offer which currently include card making and nail art. However if the demand for a particular course is there and people sign up for it then we can make it happen."

She added that books could be accessed from stock held county-wide, including the Hive at Worcester, and library services were in effect available 24/7 as library members could renew or reserve titles while managing their account online.