Residents reassured Sherborne Library remains open as a service during works

Dorset Council is reassuring residents that Sherborne Library is not closed as a service, even though the library building remains closed while essential building work and safety checks are completed.

A library is more than a building. It helps people borrow and return items, reserve stock, and get support and advice from library staff. That support is still available in Sherborne, but it is being provided from temporary space while work continues.

The library building is currently closed for essential asbestos removal and to prepare for planned extended access*. Services are limited and public computers, printing and photocopying are not available.

We know this has taken far longer than anyone wanted. People have been asking for clear dates and regular updates, and it is frustrating when we cannot yet give a firm reopening date.

Visitors should be assured that the asbestos identified in the building was contained and has never posed a risk to people using the library. It now needs to be removed as part of the current programme of refurbishment and safety improvements.

Dorset Council is working with its Assets and Property and Building Control teams, specialist contractors, and Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service. Building Control checks that work meets building rules. The fire service checks that the building will meet fire safety standards.

A new property surveyor is now leading the project and has been reviewing what the building needs so it can reopen safely. This careful review has added time, but it is there to make sure the work is done properly and the building is safe for staff, customers and visitors.

Work has paused while further checks and plans are completed in three areas: asbestos, parts of the building that need to be checked and made sound, and fire safety work linked to that. Plans for the next stage of work are being prepared and agreed with the relevant bodies.

In the meantime, you can find the library team during normal opening hours in the lobby at Digby Hall, and on Saturdays in the Sherborne Library foyer. We are grateful to Sherborne Town Council and Digby Hall for making space available. We are also working with Arts Council England, which is supporting parts of the project.

When the work is finished, Sherborne will have a safer, updated library building. The improvements will also prepare the library for planned extended access in future, so people can use the building for longer hours on some days, even when staff are not there.

Cllr Richard Biggs, Dorset Council’s Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Property & Assets and Economic Growth, said: “I know people in Sherborne are fed up with the long wait. The most important point is that the library service is still here in the town. We are pushing hard to sort the issues holding up the building work, but we will not cut corners on safety. Our aim is to reopen a library building that is safe, updated and ready to serve Sherborne for many years.”

We will share the reopening date as soon as it is confirmed, and we will keep residents updated through the usual Sherborne Library channels.

(*Extended access means the library can be used for longer hours, even when staff aren’t there, with self‑service borrowing/returns and access to computers and Wi‑Fi.)