The Henry Bloom Noble Library is to relocate from Victoria Street to Duke Street, Douglas.

To accommodate the move the library will close at 4pm on Saturday December 5 then re-open in its new location, the former Top Shop site on the corner of Duke Street and Lord Street, on Monday January 4, 2016 at 8.30am.

Borough librarian Jan Macartney said: ‘Victoria Street has served us well since 2003, but the new library will provide greater convenience for customers in that books will be housed mostly on the ground floor, with only the study area, reference collection and local studies downstairs.

‘We’re particularly excited about the children’s space, which is wonderfully bright and features new furniture, while the IT suite will have 16 new PCs and two new Apple Macs and there will also be free wi-fi and charging points for customers using their own devices.

‘Until we close we’re having a book sale of children’s and adult fiction and non-fiction titles priced at 20p and, of course, our ebook service will be unaffected by the closure and available 24/7 at www.douglaslibrary.gov.im.  This “virtual” library carries some 2,500 titles and to download customers need only type in their reader number and PIN.

‘To mark the opening of the new library, membership will be free to all residents island-wide, not just in Douglas, for 12 months, after which membership for those living outside the borough will attract a fee: ?20 reduced from ?25 for adults, ?10 down from ?12.50 for senior citizens and ?1 down from ?2 for under 16s, although there remains no charge for children who attend a Douglas school but live outside the borough.

‘Also, once we are in Duke Street, we’ll be open at 8.30am for the convenience of customers on their way to work every day except Thursdays when we open at 10am and close at 7pm, and Saturdays when the hours will be 9am to 4pm.

‘These are exciting times for the library and I should like to offer my sincere thanks to all my team and the many other staff members and officers in the Council for all their hard work in making what I’m confident will be a smooth transition to our new “home” in Duke Street.’

Regeneration and community committee chairman Councillor John Skinner said: ‘The move to Duke Street will not only provide customers with greater convenience and enhanced facilities, but also offer financial benefits in that the rent for the new site is more economical than that of the current premises, so will reduce the impact on the rates.

‘There is a school of thought that would suggest libraries have limited or no place in the digital age. This is not a view held by the council which sees the Henry Bloom Noble Library as an asset very much at the heart of the community, and applauds the successful efforts of Jan Macartney and her team in re-imagining the capital’s library service for the 21st century and for all generations.’