BOOKWORMS in Stamford Bridge are set to get a boost as the village's library prepares for a major expansion.

The library closed for six weeks yesterday. It will be extended and an online computer issue system will be installed.

When it reopens at 2pm on Thursday, May 22, it will offer the village a wider range of services, including four free public access computers with word processing and office packages and free internet and email access.

As well as the new computerised book-issue system, library users will be able to access the library services catalogue of more than 500,000 books and other items. Although the library will reopen with its traditional hours, 5pm to 7pm on Tuesdays, and 2pm to 5pm on Thursdays, there are plans to increase the opening hours later in the year. A consultation exercise with 500 local households has been held to find out what opening hours would be most convenient.

Margaret Slattery, libraries manager, said: "We are very pleased to be able to expand the service for Stamford Bridge, which is a growing community. The library has always been a gateway to our wider services, but these alterations will provide even better access to all our books and other media.

"We have found that public access IT has been useful not just to confident users, but has also attracted many new users who have not previously found the time or opportunity to have a go on the internet."

While the library is closed, residents will be able to use a mobile library. It will park on the old station car park in Church Road from 10am to 12.30pm and 1pm to 4pm on Monday, April 14, Friday, April 25, Monday, April 28, Friday, May 9, and Monday, May 12.

Updated: 10:44 Friday, April 11, 2003