Your great new library is ready. Now all it needs is you! Join us on Sunday, January 6, between 1 and 6 pm. Come for a brief opening ceremony at 1 pm, or drop in anytime during the afternoon. You’ll find free festivities and a first look at your great new library. Enjoy music by Central High School jazz musicians plus children’s favorites Rocky Maffit, Chad Dunn, Kate Kuper, and David Howie. Come celebrate!

This is the library Champaign has been waiting for. The “old” and “new” numbers to the right tell part of the story. You’ll find more than 37,000 brand-new items to check out. Two quiet rooms, one with computers. Spaces to meet and a place to eat. Soaring stairs, comfortable chairs, and bright light to lift your spirits. Forward-looking technology, including self-checkout and WiFi. Energetic areas for kids and teens. And it’s all designed smartly, to save energy and provide room for future growth. Your new library has arrived; we think you’ll be proud. photos, floor plans, more

“This state-of-the-art building is a prime example of how the collaborative efforts of the public and private sectors can achieve a great result.” That’s a recent quote from Wesley Curtis, president of the Library Foundation. But it could just as easily date from 1896. That’s when the first real home of the library opened, thanks to a sizeable gift from banker A.C. Burnham. Local philanthropists have brought excellent libraries to our community for more than 100 years. And one family’s gifts create a direct link between past and present. more

There are plenty of people to thank for bringing this great new library to our community. Creating the new library has been a three-way partnership of the Library Board of Trustees, the Library Foundation Board of Directors, and the City of Champaign. The bulk of the $28.3 million project cost is being funded by a portion of the city’s local home rule sales tax and telephone tax — the public support that makes a public library possible. The Library Foundation will provide more than 10 percent of the cost: $3 million in private pledges and gifts to give the new building an extra measure of excellence. We recognize all of the leaders of these three groups who have brought us to this point, poised to open an amazing new library. Pictured above are Library Board President Rusty Freeland, Champaign Mayor Gerald Schweighart, and Library Foundation President Wesley Curtis. Photo: Darrell Hoemann/The News-Gazette.

That’s the theme for our community-wide reading program this February to April. Watch for news about recommended reads and inspiring free events for all ages. Partners in the project are The Urbana Free Library, Parkland College Library, U of I Library, Champaign Unit #4 School District, Urbana School District #116, and The News-Gazette. Funding for the Meet a Hero @ Your Library grant was awarded by the Illinois State Library, ISL, a Division of the Office of Secretary of State, using funds provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services, IMLS, under the federal Library Services and Technology Act, LSTA.

The Douglass Branch and Bookmobile will close at 5 pm on Monday, December 31, and be closed Tuesday, January 1. All library locations will be closed on Monday, January 21, for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Our book returns always stay open, even on holidays.