GALESBURG, Ill. — A day before the new Galesburg Library opens its doors on Wednesday, April 24, News 8 got a sneak peek at the $21 million building.
The new state-of-the-art space includes tech labs, several meeting rooms, a podcast room and a skills lab designed for teaching new skills.
Assistant Library Director Jane Easterly explained how the skills lab will provide the community with a new space to share knowledge and acquire skills.
"We also have a skills lab, which is something we're hoping that the community will help us with. For example, you have a bicycle and you don't know how to change a tire and that's your main source of transportation. We're hoping the cyclists of Galesburg could come in, teach a class on how to change your tire," Assistant Director Jane Easterly said
The library draws inspiration from the Galesburg Carnegie Library, which burned to the ground in 1958. Easterly said that some pieces of the old Carnegie Library live on at the new library.
"If you drive in either of the entrances, there's a giant concrete block that says 'Library' on it. Those were actually over the doors at the Carnegie. And they were saved and have been at the old building and now we moved them here," Easterly said. "In the room we're standing in, there's a doll house that was rescued from the Carnegie Library, very beloved by generations of children."
Wednesday is the library's soft opening, with the grand opening celebration taking place on May 11.
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