A LIBRARY will soon be offering 3D printing and robot kits to make sure it stays open for generations to come.

Redbridge Central Library in Clements Road, Ilford, is one of 30 across the country to be given a £208,989 grant.

Funded by the Arts Council England, the investment is part of the Government’s Libraries Opportunities for Everyone Innovation Fund, which aims to redesign and modernise libraries so they do not die out.

Redbridge’s funding will go towards building a “discovery lab”, an open plan makerspace, complete with a technology lending library, 3D printers, and even robots.

The lab will replace an “underused” area of the ground floor, currently used for group study sessions.

It will mean residents, schools, and businesses can borrow state-of-the-art technology to help them build their skillset and enhance their learning.

Council cabinet member for civic pride Cllr Sheila Bain said she is “delighted” Vision Redbridge Culture and Leisure had secured the funding.

She said: “As its name suggests the discovery lab will be a place of discovery where you can meet, create, learn, collaborate and innovate.

“With this project we will create a space that allows our residents to have new experiences with technology including 3D printing, digital cutting, robot kits, Raspberry Pi and much more.

“It’s an opportunity for us to help residents increase their abilities and give them a greater access to this kind of technology.

“It will also allow us to run an engagement programme with children and young people to give them new skills and improve their opportunities.”

London area director for Arts Council England Joyce Wilson added: “Discovery lab is a brilliant example of how libraries can use their role at the centre of a community to bring people together for incredibly wide-reaching benefits.

“With local culture at its heart, the partnership and the programme will make great contributions to the regeneration of Ilford.”

CEO of the Government’s Libraries Taskforce Kathy Settle also said projects like the discovery lab are “critical” to libraries’ survival.