The doors to Alexandra’s new pop-up library open at Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery today, thanks to a mammoth team effort.

Library staff have spent the past week packing, unpacking and arranging shelves to ensure a display of well-loved titles remain available while the library at 43 Tarbert St gets refurbished.

Alexandra Library team leader Mo Fenton said the team had worked hard to make sure the pop-up library was ready for the public this morning.

“They’ve really worked hard. If you can imagine when you are working in a library, it’s very systematic, so it’s created a bit of chaos, which they’ve managed really well.”

The library was closed last week while the team co-ordinated the move, box by box.

Mo said the entire collection of 26,000 books were packed up, however not all of them will make it to the pop-up library.

The most popular titles, hot pics and new editions feature at the new site, while everything else has been put into storage, but would be easy to retrieve if anyone requests something that wasn’t on the shelves, she said.

“We’ve still got access to them with a system going on behind closed doors.”

Other library collections across the district were also still available for Central residents to borrow from.

A range of programmes, including Home Services, wi-fi, printing and computer use will remain available at the pop-up library.

Renovation work at the Tarbert St site will begin today and is expected to take about six months.

It will include a cosmetic internal renovation of the building, new office equipment, shelving and general enhancement.

The project has been made possible by Central Government’s Better Off Funding, which has provided 60 per cent of the total $1,035,000 cost.

Read more: Alexandra pop-up library to open in a week