Second largest library in Lexington will soon open. Residents invited to celebrate

Beth Musgrave
·2 min read
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A popular branch of the Lexington Public Library will reopen in early March at its former location.

The former Village Branch Library, which has been on Alexandria Drive for months during the tear down and reconstruction, will now re-open as the Marksbury Family Branch library on Versailles Road.

The new two-story library will be nearly three times the size of the original library on Versailles Road with 30,000 square feet. When opened, it will be the second largest library besides the original Main Street library, also called the Central Public Library.

The Marksbury Branch Library is also the first major renovation of a Fayette County Public Library since 2016, when the Eastside branch moved from its former digs to its new location at New Circle Road and Palumbo Drive.

To celebrate the grand opening on March 9, the Lexington Public Library will hold a series of events:

  • 12-12:30 p.m.: Jose Rivera, Mariachi (Outdoor Amphitheater)

  • 12:30 p.m.: Opening remarks, explore the new branch

  • 1:30 p.m.: Lexington Children’s Theater (Tempur Sealy Children’s Discovery Zone)

  • 2 p.m.: Cardinal Valley Choir (Community Room)

  • 2:45 p.m.: Casa de la Cultura Kentucky (Community Room)

  • 3 p.m.: Lexington Children’s Theater (Tempur Sealy Children’s Discovery Zone)

  • 3:30 p.m.: Irene Aguilar, Musician (Community Room)

  • 4:15 p.m.: Lafayette FIERO Strings (Community Room)

The Marksbury Branch of the Versailles Road public library was funded through a combination of public and private donors including the Marksbury Foundation, $1 million from coronavirus relief funding via the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council, and other donors.

The new building will include community and study rooms, a dedicated classroom, makerspace, outdoor reading area, expanded adult and children’s areas, and a drive-thru window where customers can pick up and return borrowed materials. The library estimates that it will serve approximately 1 million visitors per year at the new location.

Through private and public donors, approximately $8.3 million has been raised toward the $17 million construction and overhaul of the former Village Branch library.