Pennick Lane Library: A Guide to the Ground Floor

A new look for your library

Pennick Lane Library has reopened after a six-month refurbishment paid for by the town council and the Friends of Pennick Lane Library. The shelves have been rearranged, the lighting has been replaced and every room on the ground floor has been redecorated. Because so much has moved, we have produced this short guide to help regular users and newcomers find their way.

Coming in

The entrance is now at the south-west corner of the building, on Pennick Lane itself, and the Help Desk is immediately in front of you as you come in. Library staff there can issue new cards, reserve books and answer questions. To the east of the Help Desk, against the south wall, is the returns machine, which reads the barcode on each item and prints a receipt. The Toilets are next along, and in the south-east corner is the reading lounge, which has armchairs, daily newspapers and a selection of magazines.

The centre of the library

Directly behind the returns machine are the Main Stairs, which lead to the adult fiction and non-fiction collections on the first floor. A lift is also available; please ask at the Help Desk. To the west of the stairs, behind the Help Desk, is the teen zone, with graphic novels, games and comfortable seating for readers aged twelve to eighteen. To the east of the stairs, filling the whole eastern half of the middle of the building, is the computer suite, where thirty computers can be booked free of charge for up to two hours a day.

Along the north wall

The Local History Room occupies the north-west corner and holds old maps, photographs and parish records. Items in this room cannot be borrowed. The Staff Office is in the north-east corner, and between the two is a study room for up to six people, which can be reserved for group work.

Opening hours

The library is open from 9 am to 7 pm Monday to Friday and from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays and bank holidays. Books can be borrowed for three weeks and renewed online twice, as long as no other reader has reserved them.