Manchester’s Central Library and Town Hall to close this summer for ‘major upgrades’
Central Library. Credit: Marketing Manchester
Manchester’s iconic Central Library and Town Hall are set to close to the public this summer while major investment work takes place.
The community hubs in the heart of the city centre welcome hundreds of people through their doors each week, but this August, the Central Library and Town Hall Extension will be closed temporarily for several weeks with no access for staff or the public, as the replacement and upgrade of ICT networks and Wi-Fi systems are due to take place.
The ICT project will update the Local Area Network (LAN) and the Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), ensuring that the Central Library and the Town Hall Extension have a flexible ICT network providing ‘seamless connectivity’.
📌Central Library will be closed for 3 weeks from 2 –24 August, as we get to work on an exciting upgrade to the building’s Wi-Fi.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 10, 2025
Once complete you’ll have a faster, more reliable Wi-Fi connection for work, studying, socialising and more. ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/pmHqRvEwL9
During these upgrades, there will be no ICT network access available, which means no connectivity for laptops, PCs, printers, and other digital infrastructure.
Central Library and the Town Hall Extension are to be closed for three weeks from 2 – 24 August.
In the meantime, Manchester‘s 21 other local libraries – all of which have already had successful LAN and Wi-Fi network updates – will be open as usual providing PCs, book lending, and study space for the public to make use of.
On top of this, staff hours will be increased in nine key libraries in the Manchester region.
Staff will be at Central Library entrances throughout the closure to support visitors and signpost to alternative libraries, places to sightsee, meet or enjoy a coffee in the city.
🔗Find out more about this exciting upgrade and what to expect here: https://t.co/S1SIL83qIH— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 10, 2025
Staff will also be on hand at Central Library entrances to advise people of the closure and signpost them to alternative libraries.
“Although there is never a good time to shut Manchester Central Library, we cannot move forward in updating the network without this necessary closure,” commented Councillor John Hacking, who is the Executive Member for Skills, Employment, and Leisure at Manchester City Council.
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“I can assure people that we will be working at pace to bring a better and faster Wi-Fi provision for our customers when we reopen.”
Featured Image – Marketing Manchester