The new $8.7 million branch, which is expected to open April 25 for regular library hours, is 18,100 square feet — more than double the existing 8,000-square-foot branch built in 1960.
Amenities at the new library will include a large community room with after-hours access, a flexible space for activities and exhibits, a conference room and six smaller study rooms. The new branch also will feature a quiet reading room with a fireplace, dedicated teen space and a children’s area inspired by the theme “soaring beyond.”
As with the other libraries, the new branch will feature commissioned artworks through a continuing partnership with the Dayton Art Institute.
The new library was built on the site of the former Columbian Hall events venue.
Francesca Hary, manager of the Burkhardt Branch, said during an April 2021 groundbreaking for the branch that her library is the last new facility that will be “nestled in a community setting” and not on a thoroughfare.
A focus on upgraded technology will help bridge the digital divide for students without home internet access or older job seekers “who did not grow up with a mouse in their hands,” she said previously.
“It’s helping equalize, bringing people into the 21st century and beyond, so they can soar,” she said.
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