FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Marsha Grove
Library Director
(217) 403–2050
mgrove@champaign.org

The public is invited to join in the cheering as the final stages of construction of the new Champaign Public Library wrap up later this month. On Sunday, July 27, the library will host a free party called Three Cheers for the Library!

Starting at 1 pm, free pom-poms and streamers will be distributed to children and the D R Dixie Band will entertain as the crowd gathers in front of the library. After a few words of dedication, library staff will lead a round of cheering.

At 2 pm, architect Carol Ross Barney, design principal for the project, will give a presentation about sustainable elements of the library‘s design in Robeson Pavilion Room A & B. At the same time, families with children can enjoy a free program with drummers Rocky Maffit and Chad Dunn in the Nate & Lillie Story Room. Items for a 100-year time capsule representing “a day in the life of the library“ will also be on display.

Ross Barney, a 1971 UIUC graduate, is a strong proponent of environmentally friendly design and has an international reputation in the design of public and institutional buildings. Sustainable, or “green” elements of the library include many features to reduce the need for air conditioning, ranging from copper mesh sun shades to honeycombed glass. Generous natural light cuts the cost of cooling as well as lighting. In cooler months, argon gas between panes of glass will provide efficient insulation. Heating ducts underfoot require less fan power to distribute warm air than conventional overhead ducts.

The library is located at 200 West Green Street. The number of items checked out in Champaign has increased about 30 percent since the grand opening of the new building in January this year. Circulation for the fiscal year just ended totaled close to 2 million items.

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