Repairs saga library opens 15 months on

More than a year after it was closed ‘for a week’, Govanhill Library has finally reopened its doors.

The popular community hub was forced to shut in June 2009 when a false ceiling above the children’s section collapsed.

Bosses thought the library would be shut for one week – but repairs and the subsequent refurbishment took nearly 16 months.

Services were moved to a nearby community centre, but only 25% of library members continued to use the service.

Karen Cunningham, head of libraries for Glasgow, said she hopes the new library will bring people back. Before the closure 130,000 people visited every year.

She said: “The library was very popular so we know that people will be celebrating that it has reopened.

“This is a very mixed community and the level of need is high. We provide a whole range of services, from employability to computing skills.

“So not only are we open again, we will also be able to help local people prepare for the job market.”

Last June’s ceiling collapse was the second time the library, built in 1906, had to close. The Langside Road facility closed in 2004 because of falling plasterwork.

City Building, the arm’s-length council company which deals with repairs, carried out the refurbishment, which included a new suspended ceiling, complete electrical rewiring, new lighting and a redecoration of all public areas.

Library bosses spent £20,000 buying new books and installed shelves from the former Borders bookstore on Buchanan Street.

Glasgow author Karen Campbell, known for her novels, The Twilight Time and After the Fire, was the first guest at the library.

She said: “I’m delighted to have been invited to the first event at the reopened Govanhill Library.

“In the current climate it’s terrific we have a facility that will provide a legacy for the south side and encourage more reading and literacy.”

Councillor Allison Hunter, a Glasgow Life board member, added: “The extent of the damage to the building gave us the opportunity to repair and upgrade other parts of it.

“Govanhill Library is one of the busiest in Glasgow and the line-up of authors and special offers will be an added attraction for the thousands who use it.”