Photos 1-4 are screenshots from the virtual tour online.
The café at the new library is sure to be a hit for locals who want some coffee while reading.
From left to right are Mayor Al Litman, Library Architect Sean Coulter, Library District Board Member Randy Ence and Mesquite Library Manager Judith Sargent at the April 10 Mesquite Chamber of Commerce Luncheon. Photo by Stephanie Clark.
The speaker for the April 12 Mesquite Chamber of Commerce Luncheon was principal architect Sean Coulter, of Simpson Coulter Studio. He spoke with visual teasers of what Mesquite has to look forward to once construction of the new Mesquite Library is completed by March 2018.
“This building will be leading the nation for technology in libraries,” said Coulter, referring to an interactive projector that users will be able to experience, like being able to be inside of a tablet or computer screen and interact with the programs.
When patrons enter the library on the north side, they will be greeted by a reception desk and a wide open area with vibrant colors and of course, books.
The groundbreaking for the new library has been set for May 24 at 10 a.m. on location at 121 W. First North St.
“We hope to be open by late January, early February,” said Coulter. “It will depend on furniture and such.”
The new building, which was approved by the Mesquite City Council in July 2016, is going to be 13,000 square feet. The old 5,000 square foot building will undergo some renovations as well and will be turned into a learning center that will have classrooms, computer labs, a conference room and an office for Workforce Connections. “It’s going to have a campus feel,” Coulter said. The renovations of the old library will take about 2 ½ months and will be done at night to minimize impact on the library patrons. There will be a couple of weeks, however, that the library will be closed, although Coulter said that will be accommodations set to operate at another spot temporarily during that time.
This children’s reading area, geared for Storytime Sessions at the library sits next to a large lecture-style room with a playground right outside.
Other features for the new library include a drive through for patrons. “We will have it so that a mom who has a car full of kids can just drive up to the window and get what she needs from the librarian,” Coulter said. There will also be a small café that will eventually serve sandwiches and drinks and art gallery featuring local artists.
Another innovative feature for the new building is that the north face and most of the south facing walls will be windows, which will allow for optimal natural light during the day. Coulter told the audience that when it is completed, the new library will be considered to be LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certified. The classification comes from the U.S. Green Building Council which focuses on resource efficiency of a building. The certification is currently in progress according to the USGBC website.
The café at the new library is sure to be a hit for locals who want some coffee while reading.
Other features that the community will have to look forward to is the abundance of choices the new library will offer, ranging from quiet rooms to conference rooms. There will be an area for Storytime, a popular program throughout the year, and if there are more patrons than there is space, the room can be expanded into an adjacent conference room that has walls that can be slid away. That room alone is about 3,000 square feet and will be available for lectures and seminars.
To see a virtual tour of the library, go to http://tinyurl.com/scs-01.
