1. Built in 1919 and once serving as a department store, the Mitchell Street Branch of the Milwaukee Public Library, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is considered an “architectural gem,” with plaster column capitals, ornate railings, and terrazzo floors in a building transformed for the 21st century.

CREDITS: HGA, architects; ©2018 Darris Lee Harris, photo.

2. Designed to “showcase natural elements of the Pacific Northwest,” including a cross-laminated timber roof to add to sustainability, the new Tukwila Library, King County Library System, WA, also houses public art, such as the children’s space mural by Kelly Staton, to enhance its beauty.

CREDITS: Perkins + Will, architect; ©2017 Patrick Bennett, photo.

3. As a true embodiment of a “modern library,” the Sewell Mill Library and Cultural Center, Marietta, GA, has staked its claim as a hub of “knowledge, diversity, art, and technology,” a combined 31,000 square feet with a Maker space, a black box theater, and a green screen video production studio. 

CREDITS: CAS Architecture, architect; ©2016 Jonathan Hillyer, photo.

4. A collaboration between Tampa–Hillsborough County PL and the School District of Hillsborough County, the Arthenia L. Joyner University Area Community Library, Tampa, FL, is a partner facility with the Muller Elementary Magnet School and incorporates the school’s Media Center.

CREDITS: Harvard Jolly Architecture, architect and photo.

5. The Hawaiian island of Oahu can boast a new member to its statewide system with the opening of the $15.5 million Nanakuli Public Library. The facility includes three meeting rooms—one outside the library proper that opens onto an outdoor stage and amphitheater.

CREDITS: CDS International, architect; Glenn Miura, CDS International, photo.