A £2m discovery centre, the first in Hampshire, opens in Gosport on Wednesday.

Billed as a new generation of library, the centre aims to combine the best in traditional libraries with an exciting world of fun, learning and leisure.

Visitors will be able to borrow the latest blockbuster, dig up fascinating facts about their ancestors, surf the Internet and enjoy theatre and dance displays.

Hampshire County Council is transforming all its libraries in response to a national decline in visitor numbers.

Lord McIntosh, minister for media and heritage, will join council leader Ken Thornber and guests at the official opening ceremony.

Later genealogy expert Dr Nick Barratt, from BBC 2's Who Do You Think You Are?' and the county council's recreation and heritage chief Councillor John Waddington will invite local people to play their part in the opening.

St Vincent College's jazz band will be playing live as residents unveil the Discovery Centre sign outside the building and explore the centre for the first time.

Contemporary dance performances, jazz and violin music and a lantern parade by local primary schools will follow in the evening.

Councillor Waddington said: "Whether you want to study, socialise or simply seek somewhere to find inspiration and stimulation, Gosport Discovery Centre has something to offer everyone in the local community.

"We encourage residents to come along and discover this new generation of libraries for themselves."

The centre is in the transformed former library building in the High Street and combines the museum and Gosport Gallery.

It has more than 10,000 new books, interactive museum displays bringing the history of Gosport to life and an online learning suite.

The T-zone has teen magazines and books, a plasma TV screen and listening posts to try out the latest CDs.

There is a cafe area and sofas for visitors to read the papers.

A local studies centre will give access to a wealth of local studies books, maps and illustrations.

Gosport Gallery will be reopening with Sea Monsters, an exhibition tracing the fierce predators over millions of years.

The efforts to transform libraries in Hampshire have been recognised nationally with a cultural pathfinder award from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Local Government Association.