The Monroe County Board of County Commissioners and the Monroe County School District celebrated the new state-of-the-art Monroe County Library System Marathon Branch and Adult Education Center on June 26 with a ribbon-cutting, family activities, and library tours.
Monroe County Mayor Michelle Coldiron and Mayor Pro Tem David Rice attended the ceremony with Monroe County Administrator Roman Gastesi, county staff, and Monroe County school board members.
After the ribbon-cutting, the public explored the new space, including the holds locker available for after-hours access to items requested, tablets and laptops available to borrow while in the library, a self-checkout system, small group study/meeting rooms, and a large community room. The new library also has a Redbox-style media box for DVD selection and an upstairs light and airy children’s area. The upstairs also has a teen room for gaming, study room, homework center, and activity center with a 3-D printer, Cricut, sewing machines, watercolor painting and more.
Also notable are the solar panels. Before opening, the library ran “off-grid” for a day. The panels will continue to supplement the electrical grid at the location now that it is fully open.The library will be offering interactive programs like storytime, art classes, and yoga for children, teens, and adults. Marathon branch library services are available Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. The new branch is located at 3490 Overseas Highway, Marathon. To learn more about Countywide library services, visit www.keyslibraries.org.
