Chapel Hill library opens to the public this week

After more than 20 years of planning and a year and a half of construction, the newly expanded Chapel Hill Public Library will open to the public this week.

Mark Bayles, interim director of the library, said the community can expect a soft opening this week before the official opening ceremony later this month.

Though the library has not yet announced an exact day for this week’s opening, Bayles said the opening will be a chance for library employees to make sure the space’s new technologies are operational.

“We have an opportunity to make sure all the new features are working,” Bayles said.

He said the official opening ceremony is scheduled for April 20. The ceremony will include performances by the Phillips Middle School Choir, spoken word group Sacrificial Poets, storyteller Mark Daniel and the band Stickley-Hill.

The $16.23 million expansion, which began in fall 2011, has doubled the building’s size — adding 35,500 square feet and several green features to the library’s 100 Library Drive site.

During the building’s construction, the library moved to a temporary location in University Mall.

The library has been closed to the public the past few weeks as it made the move back to its renovated facility.

Susan Brown, who will take over as library director on May 20, said she wants to get to know the library staff and community in order to set priorities for the library.

“I really want it to be an essential destination,” she said. “I also think that public libraries in general should be a gateway to the community and a showcase for it.”

Brown said she wants to continue the work the Library Board of Trustees has done.

“(Bayles) has been extremely supportive,” she said. “It’s just sort of a transition time.”

But as the library opening approaches, budget problems remain a concern.

Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said the Chapel Hill Town Council is continuing to look at options to fund the expanded library.

The Town Council has considered implementing a penny property tax increase help fund the costs of running a larger facility.

The council and the Board of Trustees have also considered reducing the hours of operation for the new library from 68 to 54 hours per week.

Kleinschmidt said the cost of operating the library next year will be between $350,000 and $400,000 higher than before.

“We’ve known this was going to happen,” he said.

Kleinschmidt said while some Chapel Hill residents are wary of a tax increase, library advocates have expressed concerns about reducing library operations.

“Our library is one of the most beloved institutions in town,” he said.

Despite concerns about the budget, Kleinschmidt said he is still excited for the long-awaited library opening.

“What we’re opening this week is a library that has been dreamed of for more than 20 years in Chapel Hill.”

Contact the desk editor at city@dailytarheel.com.