Marshall County Public Public Library will break ground on a new building in Benton in April that will be double the size of the current library and offer new services.
Marshall County Public Library System director Kristi Tucker says the plan to build a larger library has been in the works for nearly ten years.
She said the old library is ‘bursting at the seams’ with books and doesn’t offer a quiet space for study.
She said the new library will also offer a ‘makerspace’ where patrons can access tools from 3-D printing to sewing equipment.
“It’s really amazing some of the things you can do if you have a space and the equipment, so we can provide the patrons an opportunity to come in and try something like laser cutting or building a robot.” Tucker said.
Tucker said the new library will cost around $7 million.
She said the money comes from saved funds and the sale of the old library building.
The rest will be paid for through a bonding process. The project will take at least 18 months to complete.
