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What's bigger than Santa Claus coming to town?

In Abilene, it's opening a library.

Come Saturday morning, after all the speeches, recognition of important people and the cutting of a ribbon, a new era in the public library experience begins in Abilene.

We are re-opening the south branch of the local library system in a mall. Our branch library is branching out, hoping the location will be convenient and enticing.

A former retail space adjacent JCPenney has been converted into a modern library the likes of which we've never seen here before. The large space, more than 20,000 square feet, has not been retrofitted to accommodate a library, it has been designed to be a library. Every section is in its place without sacrificing needs of staff.

Once upon a time, it was Old Navy. Now, it's our new library. One that will attract youngsters, tweens, teen, young adults and adults. It will be a community gathering place, much like the downtown branch with its auditorium has been for years.

We like that the library will be open Sunday afternoons. That's an amenity Abilene has been missing for years.

The rent will be higher than it was at the former strip retail space near the corner of South 14th Street and Danville Drive. Ironically, that was a startup Hastings years ago and with the recent store closing of a larger Hastings just across the street, that space would've made for a spacious library. Maybe with a coffee shop?

But the mall concept has great promise. It puts the library clearly in the public's view, reminding folks of the need to read while at the time celebrating how fun it can be. Of course, the audio alternative to reading also will be offered. We still believe a million words actually read is better than a million words heard, but either way, imaginations soar, vocabularies expand and time is well spent.

The Reporter-News, of course, is excited when libraries and reading make the news.The newspaper is all about reading. Our business has changed as readers redefine how they obtain news and are entertained; libraries, too, have had to adjust. This new library brings us forward like a rocket ship. We can imagine those who still will staff the downtown main branch will be a little jealous. The mall library, to many, soon may be regarded as our main branch.

This is a busy time of year but you probably will be going to the mall at some point, if not Saturday. Check out this new library. And make sure you have a library card in your wallet. It can be a big investment in your life or someone else's, yet far less costly than what you'd put on those charge cards.

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