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.