SUMMERTOWN Library will reopen next week after a six-week £90,000 refurbishment project funded by the community.

The South Parade library has been transformed to create space for up to 100 people for events, with new bookshelves, an expanded children’s section overlooking Turrill Sculpture Garden and new carpet.

It was under threat of closure in 2011 before high-profile writers including Colin Dexter and Philip Pullman starred in a campaign to save it from Oxfordshire County Council cuts.

Realising funding was then unlikely, the community began a six-year fundraiser for a refurbishment, which will be completed for the reopening on Monday at 9.30am.

Chairman of the Friends of Summertown Library, Marcus Ferrar, said: “It is great to see the renovation of Summertown Library nearing completion.

“This is a magnificent moment for the community, who contributed more than £90,000 to fund the work.

“We have developed a good partnership with the council’s library service - and the library we are remaking together will be great, I can’t wait.”

The county council’s library service manager Jillian Southwell said: “I also cannot wait to see the new-look Summertown Library.

“I am sure it will be fabulous and the community will love using it even more than the old one.

“Libraries are so much more than book these days - they are a focal point for communities across the county.

She added: “We run 43 libraries in Oxfordshire – many operate thanks to a band of 1,000 volunteers working with our staff.

“While each of them is different, they all offer a crucial service – bringing people together.”