With the Westfield population growing, the Westfield Washington Public Library leadership team found itself in need of a larger space. The community, always at the heart of local decisions, expressed a desire for a community gathering space with meeting rooms, a makerspace, and a larger, state-of-the-art library facility.
The 43,000-square-foot building is located at 17400 Westfield Boulevard, on the southwest corner of Park Street and Westfield Boulevard.
The new facility is a beacon of innovation, boasting new amenities and features like a makerspace, gathering stairs with a beautiful atrium area, several meeting rooms for groups of two, four, six and 20, an extensive program room capable of holding 200 people and 125 with training tables. There’s also a large video wall in the program room for presentation, a larger area to house the collection, two outdoor terraces, a podcast and video recording room, and RIVET Coffee Bar & Roastery in the lobby.
Additionally, you’ll find a children’s department enhanced with a new play town, an interactive light wall, and excellent window seats where families can gather and read. These features are designed to inspire and engage our patrons, offering a new and exciting library experience.
Executive Director Sheryl Sollars says it was time for a change. She says the makerspace will include sewing machines, a 3D printer, an engraving laser and a 36-inch printer. There is also an additional room to record podcasts and take high-quality photos. She says the library leaders are excited to offer these types of equipment.
“We are so excited to open this new, beautiful building, to be able to provide the Westfield and Washington Township community with the library they deserve,” Sollars says. “This new, state-of-the-art building will serve as a centerpiece to Westfield’s expanding downtown – a gathering place where everyone is welcome and encouraged to experience the library’s mission to foster exploration, discovery and growth. This building is a more versatile and innovative space that allows us to house a larger collection of books, movies and music, and reimagine our programs and services to keep up with our patrons’ new and modern needs – with a makerspace that will provide our patrons with hands-on learning opportunities, with expanded meeting spaces to allow for private and public community gatherings, remote working, and collaborative study areas, and with present-day conveniences like additional parking, outdoor spaces and a cafe.”
Westfield Washington Township has a new building connected to the new library, and will partner to share the program room space and building maintenance efficiencies. Sollars says that in addition to traditional library services, the new library will be able to increase STEM and STEAM classes with a dedicated space, along with the podcast and recording studio.
