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Photos courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library
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Photos courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library
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Photos courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library
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Photos courtesy of the Columbus Metropolitan Library
After a series of renovations that spanned 16 months, the main branch of the Columbus Metropolitan Library will be celebrating its grand reopening June 25 and 26. The weekend’s festivities include a concert, art exhibit opening, author talk and plenty of family friendly activities that are free and open to all. Free parking will be available in the Main Library parking garage.
The official dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony will begin Saturday at noon at the redesigned Carnegie Plaza. The brief ceremony will be followed by entertainment and special activities throughout the library. Guests can explore the library, find out about the new features and services the main branch has to offer and sign up for a free commemorative library card.
At 2 p.m. on Saturday, join the Caribbean Jazz Sextet in the Topiary Park of Columbus for the family friendly PBJ & Jazz Concert. Later in the evening, the library will show The Lorax, the 2012 film adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic children’s book. The showing will be the first of four in the Topiary Park Summer Movie series, From Book to Film. The movie will begin at dusk.
CML will also be celebrating with the return of Art Unbound. This popular exhibit features pieces by local artists who have transformed old library books into beautiful art. The exhibit will be on the second floor of the Carnegie Gallery and will remain there through the summer.
Bestselling thriller novelist David Baldacci (The Innocent, Memory Man), will be giving an author talk from 2-4 p.m. on Sunday. The event is sold out.
Renovations to the library are part of a plan to renovate 10 branches in the next few years. Upgrades to the main branch include updating the Carnegie Plaza, adding a grand reading room overlooking Topiary Park, renovating the children’s area, connecting the library to Topiary Park for outdoor reading space and more. For more information on the library, visit www.columbuslibrary.org.
Katie Ellington is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.
