New £200,000 youth zone for Burnley library (From Lancashire Telegraph)

New £200,000 youth zone for Burnley library

9:49am Friday 30th July 2010 in

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PLANS have been unveiled for a radical new development for the top floor of the historic Burnley Central Library.

Architects and young people have been working on proposals for The Crib, a new space for 14 to 25-year-olds, which will be created where the Stocks Massey Music Library now stands.

The £200,000 initiative, designed in primary colours, has concentrated on making the library a multi-media venue for younger readers, students and consumers.

East Lancashire has already seen a similar venture, known as Headspace, at Haslingden Library, which was paid for using Big Lottery funding.

Work will begin on the scheme, drafted with the help of architects Croft Goode and design artists Mooch, in early August and is expected to be completed by early October.

The music library is set to be relocated within the main lending library on the ground floor and will close on August 7.

Library officials say the music books and DVD section will be moved to the ground floor and CDs will be available on request during the alterations work.

Stewart Parsons, county library service project officer, said: “The aim of The Crib is to give 14 to 25-year-olds a really inspirational place to go, where they can enjoy music, gaming, and meeting friends in a safe, modern space. Young people have been inv-olved with the project every step of the way and we are confident that The Crib will be an exciting and popular local venue.”

Young people will be able to read, text, listen to music, jam on electric guitars, study, play on consoles, and surf the web on netbooks.

Mr Parsons added: “The changes will transform the old traditional Stocks Massey Music Library into a contem-porary music space that meets 21st century music demands.”

The Stocks Massey Library was established following the death, in 1909, of local brewer and philanthropist Edward Stocks Massey and includes a large collection of musical scores and sheet music.