ROANOKE, Va, – After a year of renovations that cost a total of $3.8 million, the Williamson Road Library reopens its doors Monday.
It will now include state-of the-art computers and an outside patio area for future events. Also, around $100,000 worth of new books have been placed, making the library home to more than 32,000 items.
Due to the efforts and requests of the community, the Williamson Road library will be home to the largest community room of all the branches. This room is open to the public to rent for use. The city wanted to make sure that they worked to include more items that would attract more young people to the expanded library.
“I think the library is much better than it used to be,” said middle school student Nevaeh Lambert. “There weren’t much books or a lot of space to sit (before), so I will be coming here for now on.”
There is a dedicated section for ages, ranging from young children to young adults. There is a children’s reading section and teen center. City leaders say that makes the Williamson Road branch unlike any other.
“So each branch may look different; however we are following the community questions and what they are asking for in each project,” said Sheila Umberger, director of libraries for Roanoke City.
There are more changes coming to our area in the future. The Melrose branch will also be included in a renovation process that is scheduled to take place this winter. The Williamson Road Library will be hosting a plethora of events for the community, as well.
These events include dancing, poetry reading and visits from renowned authors. For more information, click here.