The proposed new library will service
our Town’s current and future needs for decades to come.
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance:
- Completely accessible for walker and wheel chairs
- Wider aisles between shelving, computer stations, and seating
- Specialized quiet study room with a computer station dedicated to the needs of the hearing and sight challenged
- Hearing loop or other system accessibility available in community room
- Restrooms on each floor
- Accessible book drop and handicapped parking spaces at building entrance
Adults:
- Expanded selection of fiction, non-fiction, audio and video collections
- New materials and large print area with plenty of comfortable seating
- Expanded computer technology center
- Local history room with meeting room capability
- Quiet reading areas with welcoming seating
- Laptop/notebook computer counters with tel/data access throughout the building
- Quiet study area for proctored exams
Children and Families:
- Separate children’s room with an expanded picture book, easy reader, board book, audio, video, fiction and non-fiction collections
- Separate story time area with comfortable seating for both adults and children
- Early learning activity center inside the children’s room for craft and makerspace projects
- Family bathroom to accommodate parents and young children right inside the children’s room
Tweens (middle school aged):
- Expanded fiction, non-fiction, audio, video, and magazine collections with comfortable seating
- Table seating providing a space for homework, quiet study, and tutoring.
- A computer area with updated technology
Young Adult/Teen Area:
- Separate young adult area with an expanded collection of college and career guides, test preparation materials, fiction, non-fiction, media, and magazines
- Multi-media lab for the production of audio and video presentations
- STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics) makerspace for hands-on creative learning activities, including robotics and team engineering
- Computer technology center and counter height seating area for laptop and personal use devices
Public Meeting Rooms:
- 120 seat community room that can be divided into two smaller meeting room spaces. Both spaces can be used simultaneously and will have their own audio visual capability
- The community room can be reserved for after-hours use. It will have access to its own kitchenette, bathrooms, and table storage area.
- A Large Meeting Room will serve the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) instructors and students, as well as other needs
- Business Pod that is a private meeting room with a white board and tel/data capability for meetings with clients, conference calls, or video chats.
Infrastructure:
- Technology upgrades including fiber cabling for better broadband connectivity
- “Shelter in a Storm Facility” during power outages. A generator will provide HVAC and electricity for Sharon residents to charge their cell phones and other devices during an emergency.