4. Newcastle’s new City Library PFI project with a 7 year development period; £24m capital cost; 6 floors, 4 storey entrance atrium; 8,300 square metres; opened to the public on Sunday 6 June 2009; officially opened by HM The Queen on 6 November 2009;
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8. totally self service; open 70 hours per week – 7 days; 24 hour provision; 150,000 new books; 5792 visitors on day one; 792,000 visitors by 31 January 2010 35,000 new members; 396,000 items loaned.
9. The Council’s only capital cultural project to come in on budget … ….and on time.
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13. Why a new City Library? Library Service modernisation agenda; as much about service as buildings; to overcome the 1960s building’s shortcomings: unloved concrete; invisible/non distinctive and a wasted site; limited accessibility; hidden services and unwelcoming; poor community facilities.
19. Some examples from 2006 10 March – Bidders’ presentations at Civic Centre 13 March – Sectoral stakeholders/expert witnesses 16 March – Elected Members 18 March – Young People Group 20 March – Staff Focus Group 1 27 March – Members’ Advisory Group/Design Panel 28 March – Staff Focus Group 2 30 March – Public meeting (City Library) 3 April – Staff Focus Group 1 3 April – Public meeting (High Heaton) 6 April – Public meeting - Princess Square residents/traders 7 April – Public meeting (City Library) 10 April – Community/Hard to Reach/Disabilities groups 12 April – Community/Hard to Reach/Disabilities groups 19 April – Staff Focus Group 2 21 April – Community/Hard to Reach/Disabilities groups
22. Not just a city library City, city-wide, and regional role; other libraries; impetus for change: new ways of working; new ways of using a choice of support, progression and anonymity.