A Focal Point: The New Rockville Library

Symbols, inspiration and pride will infuse the halls of the new Rockville Library.

The City’s rich, 200-plus year history will be reflected in the creative architecture throughout Montgomery County’s flagship library that will serve as one of the main attractions to Rockville’s new Town Center.

The Rockville Library, which opened on November 29, 2006, includes a myriad of features such as a collection of books in the Russian language – the first in Montgomery County Public Libraries - and the County's Special Needs Library. Rockville Economic Development and the Rotary Club of Rockville will partner with the Library to provide business programs. Peerless Rockville, the organization dedicated to preserve the City's history, will partner with the library to provide local history programs.

Symbolism of the City’s history can be found throughout the new library. Three murals represent various aspects of Rockville’s population and history.

The library is located along Beall Avenue and is about 71,500 square feet, plus 12,700 square feet for library administration and another 14,700 square feet of office space for other county agencies.

It holds approximately 140,000 volumes from its previous site on the corner of Maryland Avenue and Vinson Street. An additional 60,000 volumes will be purchased over a three-year period.

NEW LIBRARY MAJOR ELEMENTS:

Welcoming and inviting Friendly and accessible A gathering place for the community State-of-the-art technology Great variety of programs and services An environmentally sustainable building A variety of places, spaces and seating for reading and researching

(the darkened area above is the location of the library)

Comments for the Rockville Library may be addressed to:
      Daniel Beavin
      Branch Manager - Rockville Library
      99 Maryland Avenue
      Rockville MD 20850
      Daniel.Beavin@montgomerycountymd.gov
      240-777-0141

 Rockville Library 10 Key Goals

1. The library is a signature building for the City of Rockville and the Montgomery County Libraries. A modern design, complete with large windows that glow at night to reveal the library’s contents, adds a rich element to Town Center.
    
   
2. The library is highly visible and easily accessible via Metro, car or foot. Its convenient location creates a gateway to the new Town Center at the corner of Maryland and Beall avenues.
   
   
3. Seeking to remember the past in a meaningful way, the Library preserves the City’s history while striving to create a sustainable future.
    
   
4. The library welcomes the diverse population it serves: children, adults, seniors, teens and varied ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
    
   
5. The new library is highly functional, user-friendly and simple to supervise and secure. Clear organization, efficient planning, acoustic zoning, proper lighting and accessibility have been incorporated at every phase.
   
   
6. Its distinct location adds to the Library’s ambiance. The Library’s entrance is located at the center of Town Square, and at the lowest level there are large bay windows with reading areas so guests can enjoy Town Center views.
    
   
7. State-of-the-art technology is available throughout the library. The systems are adaptable for future upgrades as technology and library services progress.
    
   
8. The library seeks to adhere to environmental recommendations by the U.S. Green Building Council. Attention has been given to ensure excellent indoor air quality standards, day-lighting standards, solar orientation, green roofing, energy conservation and smart growth site design initiatives.
    
   
9. The library houses a custom-selected 200,000-plus volume collection. Taking into consideration the needs and desires of the community, the library system designed an appropriate collection for this facility. There also is room for the anticipated growth of the collection.
   
   
10. A great variety of services, programs, equipment and space are available to accommodate the community. Some features include:

• Two large public meeting rooms (one with a display of Doc Vinson’s historic soda fountain from Peerless Rockville)
• Friends of the Library Shop
• Numerous computers for public use and training
• Large children’s library
• Teen area with multimedia features and homework center
• Audio/video collection
• Comprehensive reference collection with business and government specialties
• Diverse foreign language collection
• Adult fiction and non-fiction collection
• Several quiet rooms, tutor rooms, group study rooms and meeting spaces.