A very special guest will be dropping in on Centenary Square Birmingham during half term week to cast a ‘professional eye’ over the future project to build the new Library of Birmingham and to meet local children and their families.
On October 28, popular children’s character, Bob the Builder will be taking part in a family fun day organised by Birmingham Libraries and The REP as part of Birmingham City Council’s ongoing community engagement on the project which is currently awaiting planning permission.
There will be a chance to meet Bob, enjoy supervised tours of the site for the new library where construction is scheduled to begin early next year, as well as story-telling sessions, games and colouring-in sessions.
Guided tours will start at The REP hourly from 11.30 until 2.30 and storytelling sessions in The REP hourly from 12.00 - 3.00. Tours/admission is free, all are welcome and no booking is necessary.
Phil Burns, Community Engagement Manager for the Library of Birmingham said: "This free event is part of our ongoing community engagement programme for the Library of Birmingham to ensure that the public are involved in helping us to develop a library that serves their needs.
"The Library of Birmingham will be a wonderful resource for all the people of Birmingham for generations to come. With the help of Bob the Builder, this day will be a fun and exciting opportunity for local children to see how we plan to build it and what kind of facilities they can look forward to when it opens in 2013. We hope that families will take this opportunity to come and tour the site and find out more".
Following the launch of the Library of Birmingham concept design in April this year, the Council began further community engagement to continue exploring how citizens want to experience the new building and the customer service they will expect.
The Council’s aim is to create a welcoming and accessible building, suitable for users of all ages and interests, which will be a new cultural and community hub for the city.
The design team looked carefully at the results to ensure that the detailed design of the new building responds to citizens requirements. A report on the community engagement and how this has influenced the detailed design will be available on the new Be Heard consultation database on the Council's website next month and information will also be available in Central Library and Community Libraries city-wide.
Phil Burns added: "The next stage will be for us to find out more about what citizens think about the look and feel of the different service areas in the new building. We will be inviting the public to get involved in focus group sessions in the New Year and hope people of all ages will get involved."