Central Library in Westgate closes ahead of relocation to Castle Quarter

The library shut its doors in the shopping centre yesterday, ahead of the transformation of the front of the building which forms part of the area's dramatic makeover.

It will reopen on a smaller scale with fewer services at the end of March, in Oxford Castle Quarter, where it will stay until the new Westgate opens in October 2017.

During that time staff will shift stock to the library's new home, ensuring a collection of books, audio books and DVDs will still be available for customers to borrow.

Small-scale activities like reading events will still be held, but internet access, reference information, newspapers, journals and music services will not be available. 

Oxfordshire County Council, which runs the library service, issued a statement in January which made apologies for inconvience. 

Sara Fuge, development manager at Westgate Oxford Alliance, said: “We'd like to thank all local residents for their patience and cooperation as the redevelopment of the city’s west end continues and look forward to welcoming everyone to the new Westgate Oxford when it opens next year.”

Councillor Lorraine Lindsay Gale, the council's cabinet member for cultural and community services, said: “We are very excited to see the progress being made at Westgate Oxford. While this means we will need to relocate the Central Library on a temporary basis as this redevelopment work continues, we are looking forward to moving the library into its new space in October 2017.

“Although the temporary library will be smaller with some reduced services, I am sure it will provide an excellent environment for our library users and visitors to the city with all usual services still available across Oxfordshire’s other libraries, including those in and around the city of Oxford.

“We all look forward to the Central Library reopening in 2017 and continuing to be a highly popular resource right at the heart of Oxford’s city centre.”