LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Families celebrated the reopening of the Parkland Library in Louisville on Saturday.
The library at Virginia Avenue and South 28th Street reopening Thursday after being closed for nearly four decades. The library originally opened in 1908, but was shut down in 1986 due to budget cuts.
On Saturday, a Family Fun Day was held to commemorate the reopening. Books were given away, there were free activities, performances and various vendors.Â
"It's exciting, it's emotional, there are a lot of people coming in talking about they remember when it closed, they remember coming here as a child," said Natalie Woods, branch manager of Parkland Library. "We had a couple who came all the way from North Carolina who came all the way up here just to see it."
The branch will offer various services, including books for children and adults, DVDs, CDs, and a focus on early childhood literacy. It's intended to be a place where people can come together, learn and grow with 17,000 books, computers and printing services, public meeting space and more.
The library will offer various programming for seniors, adults, teens and children.
"It's something the community, the kids should have access to, you should be able to walk to a library to check out a book," Woods said. "If you don't have computer access, you're able to come in and use the things that we have, the programs that we have."
Woods said the library will have a maker space, including a sewing machine, label printer and 3D printer.Â
"Things that we would not normally have access to in this community, now are here and available," Woods said.Â
The Parkland Library is just one of four branches that saw or will see significant renovations. The Portland and Main branches are being restored, and a brand-new library is being built in Fern Creek. Altogether, the projects are part of a $44 million investment, funded through federal COVID-19 relief funding and private donations from the Library Foundation.
The Parkland Library is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
To learn more about the Louisville Free Public Library, click here.Â
Related Stories:
- Parkland Library reopens nearly 40 years after budget cuts forced its closure
- Historic Parkland Library reopening Feb. 27 after decades of closure
- City of Louisville invests $1 million into renovating 2 west end libraries
- Groundbreaking held for project that will give Louisville's Parkland neighborhood a usable library
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