New Library Features - Sharon Public Library Foundation

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:

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.

Sustainability:

Sharon prides itself as a community concerned with the environment. Sustainability is essential to any new library building project across the country. The library’s building plans call for Silver Level LEED certification with a building that will be energy and water efficient. The building will have integrated and climate-controlled energy and electrical systems that are expandable to meet future needs. Additionally, windows will be fully insulated. Water consumption will be monitored for efficiency and use reduction.

Flexible Use:

Mobility within walls—that’s how Sharon’s new library will live. Shelving, service desks, and furniture will be movable, in order to accommodate larger programming or reconfiguration as the community’s needs change. The electrical, wiring, fiber, and data port infrastructure will also accommodate future changes in technology. The building is being built with adaptability at its core. If space becomes an issue, the basement level of the building will be suitable for expansion.