Officials Break Ground On New Capitol Hill Library

Oklahoma City and Metropolitan Library System officials broke ground Wednesday on the new Capitol Hill Library.

Officials said the $4.3 million, 17,000 square-foot renovation will serve as a community focal point in south Oklahoma City for decades to come. It will replace the old library on the site, which opened in 1951. The expanded library will be 1,300 square feet larger and include a collection of more than 44,000 books, magazines, CDs, DVDs and other forms of physical media.

“The new Capitol Hill Library is going to boost literacy rates, improve access to information and continue a trend of public and private development that’s revitalizing south Oklahoma City,” Mayor Mick Cornett said.

The library will include computers, study rooms for checkout and a community room that holds up to 250 people and can be divided into two spaces. It will also have tall ceilings, architecture maximizing natural light and an expanded parking lot.

“With more space and more amenities, we’ll be able to offer more information and services to more people than ever before,” said Metropolitan Library System Executive Director Tim Rogers.

Its construction is funded by the 2007 General Obligation Bond issue program, which is paying for infrastructure and other capital improvement projects across Oklahoma City.

The library is scheduled to open in summer 2018.