The new Norman Public Library Central is open for business!
Readers came out in droves on a bright, sunshine-filled day for the library's Ribbon Cutting and Grand Opening event Sunday.
Then they got to experience first-hand Norman's newest library, a three-story, 79,000 square foot facility that is an increase from 55,000 in the past central library, which opened in 1966, at a time Norman’s population numbered just about 30,000.
And it had quite an impact as hundreds upon hundreds of people got their first look inside Sunday.
"Really, this is a library?" a young boy exclaimed to his grandmother.
Yes, yes it is.
Norman Central features meeting rooms, study rooms, a children’s programming room, a training lab and classroom, Friends of the Norman Library bookstore and a local history and genealogy space.
In all, the library houses a collection of about 270,000 items in an effort to better serve a city that today is home to about 125,000 residents.
The library is one of the projects made possible from the Norman Forward quality of life package, which was passed by Norman voters in 2015. Norman Public Library East, which opened in July 2018 at 3051 E. Alameda St., also was a library project that was funded through Norman Forward.
The new library has been a community project throughout, from the Norman Forward vote, to a series of public meetings hosted by the architectural firm for the library project, Meyer, Scherer & Rockcastle. Feedback from these meetings helped to outline many of these functions and features members of the public wanted to see inside the library.
And many of the leaders from the years working on the project spoke at Sunday's grand opening, including Mayor Breea Clark, former Mayors Cindy Rosenthal and Lynne Miller, Pioneer Executive Director Lisa Wells, PLS Board of Trustees member Jonathan Fowler and Matthew Kruntorad, Principal at MS&R and lead architect on the design of the library.
As with many of the Norman Forward projects, Norman Central also features a public art installation. “Unbound,” located on the southwest side of the building, rises some 30 feet and depicts pages of a book flying into the air. The piece was designed by London-based artist Paul Cocksedge, who visited Norman for a dedication event in July.
The Pioneer Library System happily offers a large collection of movies at all locations, including hundreds of DVDs and Blu-rays in movie boxes at:
If you are interested in the movies available, select the library from the list and browse the collection online. You may also browse the Norman East, Norman West and Shawnee Mall movie boxes in-person.
You may checkout up to 8 movies from the movie box for 7 days. When you place a movie on hold, it will be held for you for 7 hours.
Do you live, work, attend school, or own property in communities within Pottawatomie, McClain and Cleveland counties? You are eligible for a library card!
The Pioneer Library System's Events Room and Request System facilitates patron's registration for room use requests by using your library card number & 4-digit PIN so you can easily keep track of everything.
Our libraries offer individual assistance for a variety of customer needs. From assistance with digital devices, business development, and of course helping you find your next great read, we are here to help!
Can't find the answers you need in our FAQ? Need to renew your borrowing privileges? Can't find your PIN (usually the last 4 digits of your phone number)? Use this link to send a convenient text or email and one of our librarians will assist you.
The Pioneer Library System serves Cleveland, McClain, and Pottawatomie counties.
There are twelve hometown libraries, one community place, six information stations, three 24-hour machines, and two book boxes available for your convenience.
View the map to find the location closest to you.
View Pioneer Library System locations in a larger map
