The city's library service will be re-launched from its new home next week with a two-day opening of the new facility to be held on July 10-11.
The $16 million new library is located at the rear of the Town Hall Facade, and features a large enclosed children's area with change facilities, study room, meeting rooms, youth area, craft space, enclosed walled garden, public kitchenette, public car park, and disability inclusive bathrooms.
A ribbon cutting will be held at midday on Friday July 10, along with a sausage sizzle and coffee in the carpark, giant games, and fire engine tours thanks to Fire & Rescue NSW. The library will remain open until 6pm, giving locals the option to call in and see the new facility either on their lunch break during the day, or after work in the afternoon.
Then on Saturday July 11 the library will be open from 10am-2pm to give families an extra chance to look around the new facility, and staff will be on hand to discuss School Holiday Programs and other library activity options with parents.
Mayor Tom Kennedy said he was elated to finally be able to provide a new library to the people of Broken Hill.
"There has been talk of a new library for well over 10 years, so I'm proud that this Council and Administration have been able to make it a reality," he said.
"This library represents a new chapter in education and community interaction for the people of Broken Hill, and will greatly benefit locals of all ages, as well as generations to come.
"It's great that we've been able to get it open right in the middle of school holidays, and I encourage everyone to come along and have a look for themselves as I believe this is a facility we can all be extremely proud of."
The plan for the new library initially also included an upgrade to the city's Outback Archives, however in 2023 Council opted to split the project and prioritise the new library facility, with a view to pursuing the archive upgrade via future funding streams.
Council's General Manager, Jay Nankivell, said this move had proven pivotal to delivering the new library.
"When we first began construction back in early 2024 we knew prices were generally creeping up across the board, but I don't think anyone could have fully predicted the level of inflation that would follow in the years to come," said Mr Nankivell.
"Had Councillors refused to re-evaluate the project I can honestly say we'd have no library service at all and been forced to hand back our Government funding, so I want to thank the Councillors for their support throughout this process.
"I also want to thank all Council staff, our architects Neeson Murcutt Neille, North Construction & Building, and all contractors who worked tirelessly in the face of rising costs to deliver a quality facility for Broken Hill."
Mr Nankivell said Council would continue seeking funding to construct a new archives facility in the remaining vacant space of the old library, and internal discussions are currently underway around bringing the Archives service back in some capacity in the interim.
The city's new library has been funded by the Federal Government through the Building Better Regions program, the NSW Government through the former Resources for Regions program, and Broken Hill City Council.
