With construction expected to begin soon on the new Keith Summey North Charleston (KSNC) Library, the Charleston County Public Library (CCPL) will close the current Cooper River Memorial (CRM) Library, located at 3503 Rivers Ave, at 7 pm on Tuesday, April 27th.
During the closure and construction of the new branch, library operations will move to a temporary location at 2036 Cherokee Street in early May (date TBD). The temporary site is only a few blocks away from the current library and adjacent to the Department of Social Services (DSS) office.
“We're excited to begin construction on this beautiful new library,” said CCPL Executive Director Angela Craig. “We think the Keith Summey North Charleston Library branch will be an incredible resource for the entire community, giving them access to all of the services of a modern library. We did not want the community to be without convenient access to some key library services while they waited for their new branch, so we worked with Charleston County Government to secure space for a temporary, boutique library at the County's DSS Annex facility on Rivers Avenue, just 0.2 miles from the current branch.”
The opening date for the temporary library location will be announced in the coming weeks. Services will include access to a limited collection of books, audiobooks, DVDs, and Blu-rays; free Wi-Fi connectivity; holds pickup and book drops; and a small number of computers, printers and copiers for public use.
“It was important to us that there not be a disruption in library services to our patrons near Cooper River Memorial,” said Craig. “Though small, the temporary location lets us continue to connect with the community and provide them access to vital library resources.”
This temporary space will remain in-use throughout the construction of the KSNC Library. The 20,000-square-foot library, which reuses a portion of the existing CRM branch, will include:
- 100-Seat Auditorium
- Outdoor Reading Areas
- Self-check Out
- Creative Studio
- Learning Lab
- Community Classroom and Study Room
- Separate Children and Teen Areas
This facility will be the fifth new library to open after the passing of a $108.5 million referendum in 2014 calling for new facilities and the renovation and update of the existing branches. The referendum was approved by 74% of Charleston County voters. For more information about this new branch, including the latest construction images, please visit ccpl.org/construction.
