New Library Opens As Part Of Atlanta’s System Improvement Program
A group of politicians and library staff cut the ribbon on the newly renovated library on Wednesday.
Emma Peaslee / WABE
There’s a major overhaul underway at the Fulton-County Public Library System. One sign it’s moving along: the re-opening of the West End Branch Library.
A group of politicians and library staff cut the ribbon on the newly renovated library on Wednesday. Then it was time to celebrate. There were refreshments, a saxophone player, and several activities for local kids. The neighborhood was out in full force to check out the updates.
And that’s fitting, says youth outreach librarian, Kevin Brown, because the community played an important role in its renovations.
“The library system is very interested in the community, and they held various meetings to have the community speak on what they wanted,” he says.
One thing the neighborhood wanted and got was more space for kids to play and read. There is now a retractable wall between a meeting space and the children’s area. This allows them more flexibility for kids activities.
And Brown is already making use of the new space with a group of local kids. He puts a clear, plastic ball on the ground. With a remote controller he drives it around the room.
“It’s a robot that’s basically a ball,” he says. “And it has a motor inside with wheels.”
Brown hands the controller to a kid sitting on the floor. The robot rolls around the room and then… crashes into a chair.
The robot is called a Sphereo, and it’s one of several STEM games Brown uses to capture the attention of kids. He says it’s tools like these that help draw kids in so librarians can talk to them about things like summer reading or using a library card.
In addition to the flexible wall, the library also got new lighting, furniture, and carpet. There’s a fresh coat of paint and an updated HVAC system. There’s also lots of new technology, according to Brown.
“Oh yeah, I mean it’s light years away from what it was,” he says.
The West End Library update is part of a $275 million improvement program of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System. The plan is to renovate 23 library branches and Central Library downtown.
Gabriel Morley, the executive director of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System, says this updated library will make a difference to the people who live nearby.
“This library of the West End community is really embedded in the neighborhood. The people come here. They enjoy it. There’s a chess club that meets here,” he says. “There’s a long standing book club that meets here. People really find a home here, and we wanted to express that interest. And I think we’ve done that.”
Next up on the list: Southwest Library on Cascade Road. It closed last year and will re-open its doors again on July 2.
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