The Louisville Free Public Library is hosting an unveiling of the design of a new regional library this evening, February 4. The meeting is scheduled for 6-8pm at the current location of the Southwest Regional Library, at 10375 Dixie Highway. A brief presentation with the architects will begin at 6:30pm.
The community will have an opportunity to meet with Mayor Greg Fischer, Library Director Craig Buthod, and other local officials. The unveil of this design comes after a very long process in which the Library solicited much input from the community. The new regional library will be located on over 4 acres of property at the intersection of Dixie Highway and Kendall Road.
Those involved in the design team include JRA Architects, MS&R Architecture, library staff, and the Metro Department of Public Works and Assets. The new library will be over 40,000 square feet, will house over 100,000 books and other reading materials, and will service a 100,000+ population in this area of Louisville. It is a much needed improvement over the current location, which rents 19,000 square feet of space in a shopping center on Dixie Highway. This new regional library will lay claim to more public computers for library users than any other LFPL location and will have a teen space, devoted children’s area, and larger reading, study, and quiet areas to service the thousands of school students who live and/or attend school in southwest Louisville.
In recent years, the Louisville Free Public Library has opened two new branches of its library system, including the innovative and “green” Newburg branch and the beautifully renovated Fairdale branch. In addition, the Shawnee and Western branches have undergone extensive renovations and expansions. This new project in Southwest Louisville is one of three regional libraries which have been approved through the Master Plan. There are two other regional libraries which are in the plan and will be located in South Central and Northeast Louisville.
Follow LFPL through the process and keep up to date on all the happenings surrounding the new Southwest Regional Library on Facebook, and Twitter. Click here for more information about ways to get involved or to become a Friend of LFPL.
Photo courtesy of Louisville Free Public Library, Facebook
