New library coming to Greenwood

Sebastian County is spending more than $5 million on a new library in Greenwood. 

The library will be accessible to Sebastian and Scott County residents. MAHG Architecture is in the project's design phase and does not yet have a date for when construction will begin, Greenwood Mayor Doug Kinslow said. 

Jacob Burton donated the two acres where the library will be, at the intersection of State U.S. 71 and Ten Spur Road. 

The city of Greenwood's role in the project is to get water access to the property. It will cost the city about $180,000. 

Kinslow, on behalf of the city, is the in the process of buying the water rights for the property that the library will be on from the James Fork Regional Water District. 

“They’re willing to sell," Kinslow said. "We’re willing to buy." 

The new library will be 11,000 square feet, Library Director Rene Myers said. 

The old library, the Scott-Sebastian Regional Library, is located on Adair Road and is 5,700 square feet. Its collection contains about 52,000 items and was built in 1965. 

“Then as Greenwood grew, you know, the building needs to grow as well. It needs to support the county residents that are in the Greenwood area," Myers said. 

The library needs space to conduct programs for young and old as well as space for people to study and use their computers. 

“Libraries are not the same as they were in 1965," Myers said. "It’s not just all about books anymore. It’s a community space, and with that comes requests for study rooms, for groups of teenagers to get together to work on a project out of school hours, for them to get together on a weekend. It’s for seniors to come in and attend a program. Research has shown that seniors need that connection with others on a regular basis to help them mentally, physically live their best life, and in order for us to provide a program like that educational entertainment, we need a space to do that. And right now it’s conflicting. As you see our story time, it’s in the back of the library taking up space where people could be sitting to work on their computers. We’re competing for space for everything." 

Alex Gladden is a University of Arkansas graduate. She previously reported for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and The Jonesboro Sun before joining the Times Record. She can be contacted at agladden@swtimes.com.