Reading's new central library has been visited 100,000 times
Since the library moved to the Civic Centre in June, Reading Borough Council says 2,700 people have joined and about 42,000 books have gone out.
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Reading Central Library has counted 100,000 visits since it moved in the summer. The BBC reported on October 27, 2026, that the library opened at the town's Civic Centre on Bridge Street in June, after 41 years on Kings Road. The old building closed for the last time in May.
Reading Borough Council said 2,700 new members have joined since the move and that about 42,000 books have been borrowed. Jacopo Lanzoni, the lead councillor for leisure and culture, said it was fantastic that so many people had come in four months, and that the large, colourful children's area had been popular with families.
The figures are visits, memberships, and loans at this one library since June. They are not a measure of reading across the town.
For the classroom
Reading, a town in England, moved its main library in June 2026. The old one on Kings Road closed in May after 41 years. The new one is in the Civic Centre on Bridge Street. The BBC reported on October 27 that people have visited 100,000 times since the move. The council said 2,700 new members joined and about 42,000 books were borrowed. Councillor Jacopo Lanzoni said the colourful children's area is popular with families. These numbers are visits, members, and books at this library since June.
- What changed about Reading's library this summer?
- Why might a colourful children's area make a library easier to visit?
- What is one way your class uses a library besides borrowing a book?
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