At half past eight in the morning the low sun comes through the whole east wall of glass and falls across the long oak tables of the reading hall on level two of the new city library. The rows of green-shaded lamps are not yet needed, and the seats nearest the glass are already taken. The new building, in the city's new coastal district, began its trial opening last Saturday. In seven days it has counted 56,000 visits, an average of 8,000 a day, and weekend slots were all booked by the evening before.
At 48,000 square metres the building is three times the size of the old library in the old town. The reading hall is 90 metres long and 12 metres high, with 40 oak tables and 640 seats, each with its own lamp and power sockets. When we visited, the screen at the hall entrance read "32 seats left" less than an hour after opening.
Visiting and borrowing during the trial
| Item | Arrangement |
|---|---|
| Opening hours | Tuesday to Sunday, 8.30 am to 9 pm; closed Mondays for reshelving |
| Admission | Book online a day ahead; bring a reader's card or identity document |
| Borrowing | 12 volumes per card for 30 days, renewable once |
| Returns | Self-service machines inside; a box outside the south gate, open at all hours |
| Getting there | Five bus routes stop at the south gate; 300 spaces in the underground car park |
The library's director says the first 600,000 volumes are on the shelves, more than eight in ten of them on open access. The children's library on level one has its own entrance, and level three has 24 seminar rooms bookable by the hour. The old building will not close: once renovated it will be given over to local records and rare books. "We want this to be more than a place to borrow and return books," she says. "A library is truly finished only when someone is willing to sit in it for a whole morning."
At a seat by the glass, a reader who is revising for an exam has come five days running. She lives two bus stops away and used to fight for a seat in cafés. "It is quiet here and the light is comfortable. I can get through two chapters in a morning." A thick textbook lies open before her, a water bottle from home beside it.
The trial runs to the end of next month. Of more than 400 comments left at the service desk and online in the first week, most ask for a later closing time and more study seats. The director says changes will be announced before the formal opening, and that in exam season the reading hall is likely to stay open until 10 pm.
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