Southwick's new library officially opened

West Sussex County Council deputy leader Mike Coleman unveiled a plaque to mark the opening of the facility.

Mr Coleman said: "What a wonderful, wonderful library we have got here. You can have meetings here, and seminars. What a lovely building for the area."

The new library, in Southdown Road, was designed to give visitors a feeling of space. It includes thousands of books and other reference tools.

Mr Coleman said the building was an illustration of how the library service had moved with the times.

"Libraries are not just about books," he added. "Books are incredibly important, but we have to understand that we are in an information age, and libraries are information centres.

"You can see here we have DVDs, computers, anything you want. Our staff themselves are an information service."

Mr Coleman thanked everyone who had played a part in the development of the new library. It was an excellent facility, supported by its staff.

"This is in the heart of the community. This is a clear example of what we should be doing. In West Sussex, we have one of the best library services in the country.

"We have the best staff who know how to deliver customer service on the front line," he said.