Inverness Library reopened to the public yesterday, less than a day after rubble fell through the ceiling and landed close to a public area.
The incident led to the closure of the facility which is located in the Farraline Park area of the city.
But last night a spokesman for High Life Highland said: “We are very pleased to confirm that Inverness library has reopened for business.
“Following yesterday’s closure at Inverness library an inspection of the roof spaces was carried out by Highland Council, to ensure that all wall heads were sound and that there was no loose material sitting on either the wall heads or on the top of ceiling tiles.
“The inspection was completed, with the library being signed off as safe to reopen to the public at 1pm on Tuesday. We would thank the public for their patience while the matter was investigated.”
The incident happened at about 3.30pm on Monday.
The spokesman said previously that no one was injured but that customers and staff were evacuated from the building as a precaution.
Last year, part of the library was cordoned off because water was seeping through the roof, causing seven tiles to fall away and a bucket to be placed on the carpet.
The latest incident took place as it emerged in a new report that schools and care facilities across the north face a £100 million maintenance backlog.
Internal auditors have raised a series of concerns about the way maintenance is managed at the local authority’s “care and learning” buildings, including “major” issues that need to be addressed as “a matter of urgency.”
Council leader Margaret Davidson admitted it was a “critical issue” but said the authority was “never” going to have enough money to address the backlog and called for a “radical review.”
The Inverness Library building was built as the Bell’s Institution school in 1841, but it ceased to be an education facility in 1937, thereafter functioning as a courthouse, police station and theatre before becoming a public library in 1980.
