Ask Arlington: The New George W. Hawkes Downtown Library Opens June 16
"Ask Arlington" is a show dedicated to answering the questions you have about what's happening in our city.
Each month, on the City's social media pages, we'll let you know what the topic of the "Ask Arlington" episode will be. All you have to do is post your question and we'll do our best to get it answered during our show.
This week's show features Director of Libraries Yoko Matsumoto to answer your questions about the new George W. Hawkes Downtown Library, set to open Saturday, June 16, 2018 in The American Dream City.
The Downtown Library is a public-private partnership between the City of Arlington and the Friends and Foundation of the Arlington Public Library. Of the project's $30 million total budget, $22 million was provided by the City of Arlington. The Arlington Tomorrow Foundation is the project's lead donor, with a gift of $4.1 million.
The three-story, 80,000-square-foot facility sets a new standard for public programming tailored to meet the needs of a growing and diverse population. The first floor will have customized collections, play areas, interactive activities, technology dedicated to children from birth to 12 years old.
A digital creativity lab with a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) focus, computing space, and small group study rooms are provided on the second floor and aimed at teen patrons. An adult literacy area, also on the second floor, includes a large classroom and small tutoring space to support adult literacy programs and workforce development. Genealogy and history enthusiasts will enjoy the section of the third-floor housing material, displays, and computers for research.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 16, followed by dessert in the plaza. After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the library will open its doors to the public for the first time. The Downtown Library will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays to Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 to 6 p.m. on Sundays. It will be open Sundays all year round, beginning June 17.
The 101 Center Garage, across the street from the library, has one and a half levels of free parking reserved for the library and Downtown Arlington visitors. Just outside the library, along Center Street, there are 10 handicap back-in parking spaces with additional handicap spaces are located on the west side of the building, at Pecan and Main Street. For more information, please visit www.arlingtonlibrary.org.
The City's Office of Communication programs MyArlingtonTV. Viewers can find MyArlingtonTV programs on the following cable systems: Spectrum Channel 16 and AT&T U-Verse channel 99, and streaming capabilities at www.arlington-tx.gov.
You can find a weekly TV schedule for all of MyArlingtonTV's original programming by clicking here. All episodes are also available on the City's YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter account.
MyArlingtonTV Links:
Ask Arlington, Downtown Library
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