Sharon Forks Branch, Forsyth County Public Library

As one of Georgia’s busiest public libraries, Sharon Forks Library needed additional space and greater efficiency to serve a growing number of patrons. The expansion and renovation added 13,000 SF while creating more welcoming areas for children, young adults and teens.

Expanding Within a Constrained Site

Limited space and a parking shortage posed significant challenges. Specially engineered underground stormwater detention systems made it possible to reconfigure the parking lot and accommodate the addition without sacrificing essential parking.

Creating a Welcoming Experience and Improving Operations

An open help desk welcomes patrons and provides an intuitive starting point for navigating the library. Nearby, a playful portal leads to the expanded children’s and young adult collections. Convenient “grab-and-go” shelves for reserved materials and self-checkout stations streamline short visits, while clear organization guides patrons to computer stations, fiction and nonfiction collections, and group study rooms.

The project team assessed the library’s existing furniture to reuse as much as possible and selected new pieces that complement the renovated interiors. Two automated materials-handling systems, each with a 13-bin capacity, help staff process returned items more efficiently.