Books are a uniquely portable magic, said Stephen King, and North Charleston has something pretty magical coming its way. The Keith Summey North Charleston Library is currently under construction where the Cooper River Memorial Library used to be. 📚

Charleston County Public Library + government officials broke ground on the project in May of last year. The new facility is reusing a portion of the former library at the site. The library is intended to engage the community, provide access to resources + promote lifelong learning.

You can look forward to:

Meeting rooms
Separate children and teen areas
A 100-seat community auditorium
A community classroom + study room
Outdoor reading areas
A learning lab + creative studio
Self-check out

Now for the nitty gritty. As of June 2022, brickwork, roofing, and overhead electrical at the new branch were essentially completed. Ductwork and storefront glass framing were nearly finished, and access floor installation was underway. The parking lot had been paved.

Here’s the big picture: Earlier this month, we let you know that Charleston County Public Library was undertaking a $108.5 million referendum-funded project to build five new libraries and renovate 13 branches with public input in mind. Keith Summey library is a part of this project.

Charleston County Public Library expects the branch to tentatively open sometime in the first half of 2023. Heads up: This timeline may change. In the meantime, visit the temporary Cooper River Memorial Library at 2036 Cherokee St., which will close once the new branch opens at 3503 Rivers Ave.

Go here to learn more + check status updates.