Tidworth Library will reopen on April 12, while Ludgershall’s will remain closed, as Wiltshire’s libraries come out of lockdown.

Tidworth Library will be open for browsing, but only at weekends. For the rest of the week, it will be open for order and collect, as it has been throughout lockdown.

Ludgershall remains closed alongside a number of others, including Box, Durrington, Lyneham, Market Lavington, Purton, Ramsbury and Tisbury. The council is working with the libraries’ volunteers to reopen these as soon as possible, and further updates will follow in due course.

In line with the Wiltshire Council Roadmap, Wiltshire’s 34 libraries (including mobile libraries) are taking a cautious approach to reopening. As lockdown is eased, opening hours and services will be increased in a phased way over the next few months. For individual opening times and days please check the links below.

The libraries will operate with COVID-19 safety measures in place to ensure social distancing and keep everyone as safe as possible. As part of safety precautions, ‘browsing time’ will be restricted to a maximum of 30 minutes to limit the number of people in a library at any one time.

Library material borrowed before lockdown is due back from the beginning of May at the earliest.

The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre will have limited reopening from Tuesday 13 April between 9.30am to 5pm, but customers will need to book visits in advance. Spaces are limited due to social distancing requirements and to ensure customer and staff safety. Customers will be asked to order any documents they wish to consult in advance of their visit, as documents will be quarantined 72 hours before and after their visit.

Jessica Gibbons, Wiltshire Council Director for Communities and Neighbourhood Services, said: “During the latest lockdown our libraries have done a fantastic job at continuing to support users via order and collect book services and essential computer access. Both the history centre and library teams have also adapted throughout the pandemic to provide some great innovative online resources.

“We are delighted to get the green light to be able to open our doors once again, to welcome people back to enjoy browsing books of their choice and delving into the history of the county once again.

“We know how important these services are for our communities, and our teams are working hard to get everything in place to make sure we reopen safely.”

Library opening times and contact details can be found on our Library locations and opening times webpage and mobile library times on our Mobile Libraries webpage.

The online library content, which has proven to be hugely popular, will continue. Visit our Active Communities resources webpage for more information.

For further information about the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, people should visit www.wshc.org.uk. To book a visit people can email archives@wiltshire.gov.uk