A new Carmel Clay branch library, the first for Carmel’s award winning library system, will be underway this spring. The new $2.5 million facility will be located in an existing, but completely renovated building, in the Village of West Clay. The new branch, expected to be developed without a tax increase, is set to be open before the end of the year.
The decision to add a branch has been under consideration for the past two years. Hamilton East and Hamilton North libraries have built new branches in the recent past. The new Carmel facility will bring to eight the number of library locations in Hamilton County.
Carmel library director Robert Swanay released details of the new branch and its anticipated services. Ratio is the architectural firm being used and the interior design of the building has been done by Rowland and Associates of Indianapolis. When completed there will be about 5,000 square feet of floor space.
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A courier service will deliver certain requested materials to the branch from the main library. Digital checkouts, which have doubled in five years, are expected to be a major service.
In addition to the new branch, Carmel plans a major updating and expansion next year of the main library at 55 Fourth Ave. S.E. The building is now 20 years old and lacks the proper amount of space for certain services, according the Swanay.
Besides the typical loaning of books and other materials, the library has sponsored or cooperated with presenting 2,200 programs in the past year. And, the library operates a mobile unit (bookmobile) as part of its outreach program.
Carmel, like all public libraries in the county, originated with an Andrew Carnegie grant. Its current building, the third since 1914, opened in 1999. It is governed by an appointed board of seven members. Swanay has been director for two and a half years.