The expanded Shadle Library in Spokane sets a new bar for 21^st-century library services focused on people and programs. Nestled in a city park, the library beckons to visitors with a soaring new atrium that creates a prominent, welcoming entry and brings copious natural light into the building. A colorful new children’s library also reaches out toward the street, drawing visitors in with a whimsical play space that has proved very popular. Nicknamed “Moose’s Market,” this play space features a carrot-themed slide and other interactive farm-inspired structures.

At 30,000 square feet, Shadle Library dedicates ample space for people to sit, read, work, and collaborate. Programs of all sizes and types, from cooking classes to immersive storytimes, are comfortably accommodated in the large event room, the demonstration kitchen, the maker studio, and the classroom. But that’s not all! Small group study rooms, laptops on loan, self-service hours, and a discovery garden for horticultural programs are some of the other modern amenities provided by this exemplary branch.

The Shadle Library expansion grew out of Group 4’s long-range master plan for Spokane Public Library, which has resulted in other voter-supported library improvement projects as well – such as the Downtown Library and Hillyard Library. Group 4 is the lead library designer for the capital improvement program in collaboration with local AOR Integrus Architecture.