The new Atglen Public Library (APL), which is more than double the size of its current location at 413 Valley Ave., will open to the public on Monday, March 28, at 10 a.m. at 121 Main St., across from the borough hall. Features of the new building include additional programming space, plenty of parking, a new snack area, a meeting room and exhibition space to hold art shows and more.

The old library was scheduled to be closed on March 21 and 22 and will remain closed on Wednesday, March 23, through Saturday, March 26, during which time more than 12,000 books will be relocated and shelved at the new building.

A grand opening celebration will take place on Saturday, April 2, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. "People can come in (and see the new library), and we will have a large collection of free, new children's books to give away," said Robbyn Kehoe, library director, noting there will also be a quilt display on exhibit for the opening.

The main floor of the library features the adult fiction section, the teen section and the children's area. Chairs will be placed in the front windows so that patrons can read while enjoying the sunlight. "We will have a local history shelf and two comfy chairs where you can sit (and read)," said Kehoe. "We have a small room - the Zimmerman Room - for meetings. (The name) is to honor the Zimmermans, who we rented from (at the old location) for 26 years."

According to Kehoe, the new library building is known by many as Sener's Store, which was open from 1938 to 1978 and then John Brady's Atglen Market, which was in business from 1978 to 2001. "We wanted to honor the building's history and its importance in the town, but it needed to be functional," said Kehoe. "We wanted it to be a blend of the old and the new. That's why we have the dark wood shelving, instead of the regular steel cantilever shelving."

Founded in 1945 by George Sener and others, APL was first located in the old borough hall on Main Street. This building was damaged in a fire in 1994, and the library used space at Faith Community Church for two years. In 1996, the old Summers & Zim's office was renovated for the library's use. This space was enlarged in 2009 and renovated in 2014. "With the return to Main Street, the space where George Sener had his general store, it feels a bit like going home," Kehoe remarked.

Other features of the new library facility are ADA-accessible restrooms, a water fountain with a bottle filler, a state-of-the-art air filtration system and a side entrance that will feature rotating displays on its mural wall. "It's not about the building anymore. It's about what the building allows us to do," said Kehoe. "We can have movies, art shows and arts and crafts (programs). We can have a coffeehouse concert."

When the move is completed, Kehoe said, she plans to enjoy the new library herself. "I'm going to sit in the window with my coffee and read my book," she said.

For more information about the library and the move, visit http://www.atglenpubliclibrary.org or http://www.facebook.com/AtglenPublicLibrary.