The branch has been in the planning for 20 years, with the site at Miami and Kern roads purchased more than seven years ago. I love it. The family lives about two miles away and plans to visit often. The facility has 45,000 new books, a figure that is expected to grow. Taxpayers in the eight townships served by the county library paid 4 cents additional on their tax rate for five years toward a capital improvement fund that allowed the branch to be paid for by the time it opened.
Nature plays a big role in the design of the new branch.
It features outdoor footbridges over small ponds, an interior waterfall and a butterfly garden. It has the first Apple iMac computers available in the library system. And it soon will have Apple iBooks, laptop computers that provide a wireless Internet connection up to 150 feet away from the base. The branch has a drive-through window that allows patrons to call ahead and pick up materials from their car. And a cafe will open in the branch within a few weeks.