The Garland County Library is already one of our community's busiest gathering places. But the way people use public libraries has changed considerably, and the space needed to serve them has changed, too.
So far in 2026, the Library has recorded more than 212,000 visits through its front doors, along with another 25,000 visits to its auditorium. On an average operating day, approximately 1,000 people visit the Library, with attendance naturally fluctuating throughout the year.
That's a remarkable amount of activity for a facility that was designed for a different era of library services.
The current Main Library has approximately 37,000 square feet. The proposed new Main Library would increase that to approximately 60,000–65,000 square feet. That's roughly two-thirds more space, but the goal isn't simply to build a bigger building.
It's to create more opportunities for the people who use it.
More Than Books
Books, reading, and research remain at the heart of the Library's mission. But today's public libraries are also centers for learning, creativity, technology, and community connection.
The proposed Main Library would include a significantly expanded children's area and a dedicated space for teenagers. These areas would accommodate educational programming, hands-on activities, and places where young people can spend time in a welcoming environment.
Other envisioned spaces reflect the changing ways residents use their libraries:
A teaching kitchen for cooking classes, nutrition education, and practical life skills.
A makerspace for creativity, technology, and hands-on learning.
A memory lab where families can preserve photographs, recordings, and other pieces of personal history.
A performing arts and auditorium space for community events, lectures, performances, and cultural programming.
The exact size of the auditorium will depend on final construction costs, but the goal is to accommodate at least 300 people.
These spaces aren't simply extras. They recognize that different people need different things from their public library, sometimes at the very same time.
Building for the Community We Are Becoming
A larger Main Library would make it possible to offer more programs, accommodate more visitors, and provide dedicated environments for activities that are difficult to support within the existing building.
Ultimately, the question isn't how many more books we can fit inside a new library. It's how many more opportunities we can create for children, families, students, entrepreneurs, and neighbors throughout Garland County.
More space isn't the goal. It's what that space makes possible.
Learn more about the proposed library expansion at Our Libraries, Our Future.
