After breaking ground nearly two years ago, the Lexington Public Library’s newest branch has officially opened — and if you ask us, it’s definitely worth checking out.
The Marksbury Family Branch — located at 2197 Versailles Rd. — is a new $17-million, 30,000-sqft space that has taken over the former Village Branch.
“In 2018, we conducted a survey for our Master Plan and 95% of participants agreed that the Village Branch was the library that needed the revamp first,” Paige Smith, Development Manager at the Lexington Public Library, told us in 2022.
Let’s take a tour of the new branch and its offerings curated for the Cardinal Valley neighborhood.
The space
Spanning two floors, this branch is dedicated to being an educational and collaborative hub for the community. Upon entering the space, you’ll find:
- A sensory-friendly room with soft lighting
- Rentable devices like laptops
- Meeting rooms, including the Keeneland Community Room, Blue Grass Community Foundation Study Room + Community Trust Bank Study Room
- Dedicated spaces for kids and teens, like the Tempur Sealy Children’s Discovery Zone
- An outdoor reading area
- A massive Spanish collection
Even more unique is the inclusion of the new Makerspace featuring 3D printers and sewing machines. The library hosts Open Studio hours Mondays + Tuesdays, 11:30 a.m.-6:30 p.m., and the second and fourth Saturday and Sunday of each month, 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Programming
Much like our other library branches, Marksbury Family will host events, classes, and programming for community members of all ages. These include:
- Destination Kindergarten that helps kids prepare to enter Kindergarten
- LPL After School program for kids aged 5-12 that gives kids snacks and hosts enrichment activities
- Free weekly English Language Learning courses and citizenship classes