Northeast Regional Library opens in Raleigh on Saturday

Thirteen years after Wake County residents approved funding to build it, the Northeast Regional Library will open Saturday.

The library on Green Elm Lane near the Wakefield community is Wake County’s seventh regional library and the final one funded through a $35 million bond approved by voters in 2003. The economic downturn, and then uncooperative weather, delayed construction of the $12 million library until November 2014.

“This has been a long-awaited library,” said manager Yvonne Allen. “People have been very patient.”

Northeast Regional Library will ease crowding at the Wake Forest Community Library and serve a booming part of the county, including North Raleigh. Nearby Rolesville, the fastest-growing town in North Carolina, does not have a library.

“A regional library will be able to provide so many more experiences than we have been able to do at a community library,” said Ann Burlingame, Wake’s deputy library director.

The 22,000-square-foot Northeast Regional Library has 150,000 books and 29 computers available to the public. It will host 17 weekly programs for children, along with numerous adult programs.

Community libraries are typically between 5,000 and 8,000 square feet and contain about 15,000 books.

The opening of the library signals Wake’s improving economy. During the economic downturn, the library system put new construction on hold, cut back operating hours and reduced spending on books.

County leaders even considered closing the Southeast Regional Library in Garner, but it remained open after residents protested. There was also talk of closing the Athens Drive and Duraleigh Road branches, but supporters fought to keep them open.

The 2003 bond included funding to build the West Regional Library in Cary, the Leesville Road Community Library in Raleigh, the Holly Springs Community Library and renovations at the North Regional Library in Raleigh.

Wake plans to open its 22nd library, the Middle Creek Community Library near Apex, in the fall.

Unique shape

The staff of about 20 full-time employees at Northeast Regional Library has been busy putting out displays of recommended books this week.

Library assistant Julie Speer put the finishing touches on a tree trunk collage made from foam board and pages from an old financial book published in the 1970s.

Speer, who lives in Fuquay-Varina, said she jumped at the chance to move from the Athens Drive Community Library even though it added more time to her commute.

“I couldn’t pass up working in this brand new, beautiful library,” she said.

Most regional libraries have a boxy shape, but Northeast Regional is built along a ridge and has a V-shape, mimicking a creek that runs parallel to the building. The shape divides the space in half, creating separate wings for the adult and children sections.

Designers also integrated neutral colors and natural images into the space, which emphasizes a thick stand of trees that acts as a barrier between the library and busy Capital Boulevard.

“We really feel like we’re in the center of the woods here,” said Allen, the library manager.

The building is certified as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design structure. It has high ceilings, and windows run the length of the structure, cutting down on the need for artificial lighting.

Comfortable furniture is arranged in a way to encourage groups to collaborate, Allen said. For those working alone, small desks called Wi-Fi bars are just big enough to accommodate a laptop or other electronic device.

New furniture, electrical plugs and speedy wireless Internet access is being added to all county libraries as more and more visitors use the space to charge their gadgets.

“It just really helps us serve our customers much better,” Allen said.

This story was originally published April 15, 2016 at 1:58 PM with the headline "Northeast Regional Library opens in Raleigh on Saturday."