Following months of site preparation, shovels are ready and work is underway! Construction on Lillian Marrero and Lovett Memorial libraries, two of five neighborhood libraries in the Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative, began on September 6. Construction on Lillian Marrero Library will take approximately nine months with an expected completion date of May 31, 2017. Construction on Lovett Memorial Library will take approximately ten months with an expected completion date of June 30, 2017. Very exciting!

Please note that the conclusion of construction is not the same as the public opening date. It takes at least a few months for us to add crucial installations such as furniture, computers, books, and other materials. We will announce public opening dates as construction draws to a close.

Construction on Logan and Tacony libraries begins in October. Construction completion for Logan Library is expected on March 31, 2017; construction completion for Tacony Library is expected on May 31, 2017. As with the other two libraries, we will update the community of public opening dates as construction draws to a close.

If you have questions or concerns about any of the above construction work, please call 215-686-5389 or email LibraryConstruction@freelibrary.org. Signs about the projects with contact information are also posted outside each library.

The new South Philadelphia Library, the first neighborhood library reimagined through Building Inspiration, reopened to the public in June 2016. Its nearly 12,000 square feet of space will serve more than 150,000 customers annually.

The Building Inspiration: 21st Century Libraries Initiative, a transformational program and an innovative model for the future of library service, is designed to respond to the rapidly changing roles of libraries in our contemporary society. It is made possible by many generous gifts in a unique partnership between the public and private sectors, underscored by a historic $25 million gift from the William Penn Foundation—the largest private gift ever received by the Free Library.