Residents of Kernersville have a new place to check out books and access the latest technology; the new Paddison Memorial Branch Library is now open to the public.
The $6 million facility replaces the old library branch and is double the size.
It includes a makerspace complete with 3D printers, a 150-person auditorium, and an area geared towards teens.
Forsyth County Public Library Director Sylvia Sprinkle-Hamlin says libraries are about more than just books these days.
“The 21st Century Library is more of a community space, a community living room, where people come in and network, find out about the latest technologies and just enjoy themselves," she says. "And that's what we tried to do with this new space.”
The funds for Paddison Memorial Library came from a 2010 referendum which also included money to rebuild the Central Branch in downtown Winston-Salem.
Sprinkle-Hamlin says the next project is rebuilding the Clemmons Branch Library.