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The community is invited to attend an official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Lee County Public Library in Bonita Springs at 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 26, at 10560 Reynolds St., Bonita Springs, FL 34135.
The new two-story library, a Lee Board of County Commissioners’ facility, is about 31,000 square feet. Initial construction work began in January 2018. The $14 million project was paid from existing library fund balances. The new library features more than 50 public-use computers, a large meeting room, dedicated programming areas for adults, teens and youth, as well as outdoor event spaces and a landscaped reading garden.
Tours of the new library facility will be available following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which is expected to last about 20 minutes. Informational displays from several county departments, including Parks & Recreation, Emergency Management and Human & Veteran Services, will be set up. A “Grand Opening” community celebration will be held Saturday, Sept. 14, at the new library. Details will be announced soon.
As the existing library transitions to the new building, services will be limited at its location at 26876 Pine Ave. Computer and printer access, new materials, items on hold and a selection of audiovisual materials will be available until the building closes permanently at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 15.
The operating hours of the new library will be 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday; the library will be closed Sundays.
Lee County opened another new library in North Fort Myers on Aug.5.
The Lee County Library System maintains 13 library branches of varying sizes, with robust collections and resources, to meet community needs; offers more than 1.7 million items for patrons to use or check out, and circulates more than 7.4 million items annually; provides a variety of programs for all ages and interests throughout Lee County; provides mobile and literacy services, including Bookmobile, Talking Books Library and Books-by-Mail; and provides meeting rooms, an online catalog and e-resources, as well as DVDs, music CDs and streaming movies and video. Each branch also provides internet access, including wireless access points. For branch locations and hours, visit: https://www.leegov.com/library/branches.
Note to media: Below are facts and figures about the Lee County Public Library in Bonita Springs for your use online or for coverage of the event:
THE LEE COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY in BONITA SPRINGS
• The new library is located at 10560 Reynolds Street, Bonita Springs, FL 34135
• Initial site work began Jan. 8, 2018
• Groundbreaking event held March 8, 2018
• Completion date: August 2019
• The new two-story library is 31,000 square feet
• More than 50 computers are available for the public’s use
• Large meeting room (seats 100 and can divide into two rooms) is available for public use
• Three study/conference rooms with audiovisual capability
• Separate covered main entry and book drop-off
• Outdoor event space and landscaped reading garden
• Reading balconies
• Dedicated programming areas for adults, teens and youth
• Gaming areas
• Storytime room with audiovisual capability
• Ample comfortable seating