IN PICTURES: New chapter for £1 million Stafford library

The new £1 million facility will open on Wednesday at its new home inside Staffordshire Place in Tipping Street.

And library staff are getting ready for the big move by starting to place many of its books on the shelves ahead of the big day.

The opening will please many library users in the town who have been left without a library for almost two weeks because of the closure of the old one in Martin Street.

Gone are the lifeless noticeboards which traditionally greet library-users, instead those visiting the new facility will be met by a large state-of-the-art touchscreen display which resembles an iPad and the digital world.

The 6ft tall information point will show activities happening on the day, promote what is going on at other libraries, display family history events and even recommend books to loan.

The library will be equipped with tablets for web browsing and reading, as well as Raspberry Pi devices which are credit card-sized computers for children that teach programming skills.

And one of the eye-catching new additions is the 3D printer where people can see their creative designs come to life before their eyes.

Staffordshire County Councillor Ben Adams, who is the learning and skills boss, said: "The new library will be a good example of how libraries can be run and used in the future.

"A lot of people are changing their reading habits using e-books and tablets etc and this library will accommodate that way of change. I'm delighted we are getting closer to the opening date.

"The new library will have the latest publications for people to read and feature the latest technologies.

"I'm pleased after six years of Conservatives in charge of the county we have been able to keep open our libraries and extend their opening hours."

Visitors can book a guided tour of the new library which is being held on Saturday. Tours will take place at 10am, 11am, midday and 3pm.