The first thing you notice upon entering the new Sugar Creek Branch of the Hancock County Public Library on the outskirts of New Palestine is the windows: giant floor-to-ceiling panes that make up the north facade of the building along U.S. 52.
They let in enough light that the library’s own interior illumination is on an automated system to compensate based on how much natural light is entering the space.
It’s not much of a stretch to say that all that light is a metaphor for what the library will bring to its patrons in the southern and western parts of the county: more opportunities for enlightenment and community engagement.
The new library opened Feb. 11, at least a couple of years ahead of schedule thanks to a timely bequest and as attention is focusing anew on development in western Hancock County. The response was immediately enthusiastic: Nearly 2,000 items were checked out on the first day.
The new building, 5731 W. U.S. 52, replaces an increasingly ill-suited facility in downtown New Palestine. At twice the size, the new library will allow for more offerings, and not just among the stacks: Programming, which is such an important part of the library’s community outreach strategy, is expected to grow substantially.
One of the great benefits of the main branch when it was built on McKenzie Road 14 years ago was its community room, which has gone on to play host to thousands of programs, from concerts and demonstrations to political debates and town-hall meetings. Library officials made sure the new Sugar Creek Branch has a similar space. In a community with few similar venues, the library surely will become an important focal point for community groups as well as the library’s own programming.
Thanks must go to the estate of Dr. Ralph and Grace Rea, which left $3.5 million to the library in 2017 and accelerated plans to build the Sugar Creek Branch. The gift underwrote much of the total $4.8 million cost of the new facility.
The old library, which formerly was the New Palestine post office and before that a pharmacy, didn’t have enough parking. Putting on popular programs was tricky, because the library doesn’t as a rule like to turn people away. Both problems are now solved, so it’s no reason why librarians were smiling so broadly on opening day.
The library plans an official grand opening on April 7, during National Library Week. That will be a fitting occasion to christen an important community asset.
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