It’s just one part of the $60 million Shellharbour Civic Centre which incorporates a local history museum, a cafe and council’s customer service hub.

Council staff are also housed in the multi-storey building formerly referred to as ‘the hub’ and the finishing touches are being put on the 350-seat auditorium and council chambers.

It’s been a controversial development, but residents lined up on Thursday morning as the doors swung open to the public for the first time.

Close to 1000 people flocked to the centre on its first day of operation, and they weren’t disappointed with the interactive entry plaza or the colourful, open-plan interior.

For Albion Park resident Rebekah Power, it was a great way to spend a school holiday day with her daughters.

“It’s a beautiful facility,” she said. “It’s well-equipped with books, there’s lots of options for seating and there’s plenty of access to computers. The space is really well designed.”

Amanda Bowman of Shell Cove was also impressed with the library, which contains 40,000 brand-new books.

“My daughter and I have been waiting to come and it’s really fresh and bright,’’ she said. ‘’There’s a definite need for this type of facility in this area so it’s very welcome.’’

The centre is a one-stop-shop for the city’s residents according to acting general manager Melissa Boxall.

“It’s just seamless in design with the customer service area just flowing into the library and into the museum,’’ she said.

“So people can come in and pay their rates or discuss a DA, they can have a cuppa or use the library, and they can take the time to browse through our city’s local history.

“Having a space people can meet is really important and it’s also about council contributing to the city centre and making it more vibrant.

“We’re nearly at 70,000 people in Shellharbour and it’s important that we can offer this type of facility to meet current and future needs.’’

Library staff helped residents navigate the new area, which also features a balcony and quiet rooms.

‘’We’ve had a lot of families through the doors – and anything Star Wars or Pokemon has literally flown off the shelves,’’ said one employee.