Soon after she helped cut the ribbon, 8-year-old Virginia Nadworny was walking around the new Orange County Main Library with a stack of books ready to be checked out.
“I like to read a lot,” she said. “Mysteries and nonfiction are my favorite. I’ll be coming here a lot.”
Nadworny was one of about 100 people who attended the library’s grand opening Friday. The $8 million project came to fruition just as the library was celebrating its 100-year anniversary.
“I’m just so excited, it’s hard for me to stop grinning,” said Valerie Foushee, Orange County Board of Commissioners chairwoman.
The newly built library, 13 miles from campus at 137 W. Margaret Lane in Hillsborough, is two levels and more than 20,000 square feet. Most of the first floor is dedicated to children and includes a story time area and a children’s study area. The second floor includes a teen area, study rooms and public computers.
North Carolina State Librarian Mary Boone said public library usage has reached an all-time high nationally. This is likely due to libraries offering computers and Internet access, she said.
People are coming to library computers to fill out job applications, which more often are only available online. So the role of public libraries is expanding, she said.
“We’re seeing a great shift in society moving into the online world,” Boone said. “To bag groceries at Food Lion, you have to apply online.”
The project was mostly funded by Orange County taxpayer dollars and a $20,000 donation by the Friends of the Orange County Public Libraries.
