Library's structure to sprout

Motorists driving near Telfair Street and James Brown Boulevard should soon start seeing a steel structure rising as part of Augusta's new main library.

"We're hoping that will start going up the first of February," said library Director Gary Swint, referring to the first of three sections being erected facing Greene Street.

Construction of the new library, which will be more than double the size of the old facility, at 95,000 square feet, is on schedule for an opening in June 2010, Mr. Swint said. The current main library has 38,500 square feet.

Mr. Swint said library officials also have been busy lately ordering the proper trees from Tennessee for landscaping at the site. He said they would have to alter their plan to include Ginkgo trees, the city-approved tree for that street.

The library will have several new offerings, including more children's services, a puppet theater and a larger meeting room on the first floor to accommodate as many as 300 people.

The library will have a third-floor computer lab that could be used by businesses for seminars, and more computers will be available for public use.

Another addition is a local history and genealogy area, "which we currently don't have" at the main library, Mr. Swint said.

The Library for the Deaf and Physically Handicapped, which is now located behind the main headquarters library, also will be moved to the third floor of the new library.

"The move to a new facility will mean a nice building without a leaky roof," said branch manager Audrey Bell. "We'll have public computers in our new facility with adaptive software for the blind that we don't have available for our patrons now."

Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 823-3338 or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com