Burlington, IA – Customers traveled to the corner of 4th and Columbia to check out books from the Burlington Public Library for more than a century. Now, the library has a new home, just blocks away, at the corner of Court and Main. The new multi-million dollar facility, which looks out over the Mississippi River in downtown Burlington, has been many years in the making. The project has always had its supporters and its critics. Library Director, Kay Weiss, says this new facility allows anyone to access all materials because everything is on one level, the main floor and the parking lot. The Burlington Public Library has high ceilings with a great deal of light, dozens of internet ready computers, a large fireplace complete with comfortable chairs, a teen-reading section, and a children's reading room. Weiss says there is also room for expansion, as some shelves are sparsely filled. She says traffic into the new Burlington Public Library has been non-stop during its first week of operation, aa patrons checked out more than 12,000 items. Weiss says an average week at the old facility would see around 7,000 checkouts. In fact, she says nearly 6,000 items were returned to the Burlington Public Library during its first day at its new home.
You can hear Jason Parrott's entire report by clicking on the audio link above