MADISON – Five years of planning, design and red-dirt construction finally has closed. The new Madison Public Library will open to the public on Jan. 27.

Covering 25,000 square feet, the new library at 142 Plaza Blvd. is two doors east from the former location. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 27, residents can visit the new library, and librarians will host makerspace demos, tours, music, storytime and other activities.

“We worked with the community, asking them what they wanted in a new library. Our design team did an amazing job at delivering to Madison a plan that incorporates all of the latest standards and technologies,” Sarah Sledge said. Sledge works as branch manager for Madison.

“This is a library that the community will be proud of,” Sledge said.

Serving the community for about 40 years, Madison Public Library has the second highest circulation within the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library system.

Madison is a city that has seen tremendous growth and development over the last 10 years and, with new growth, comes the need for expanded community services, Melanie Thornton said. Thornton works as Director of Public Relations for the library system.

The current library was designed to serve a population of 20,000. The new library will accommodate 55,000 (and growing) Madison residents.

“Madison is known for our fantastic school district and highly educated residents. Our new library will support our community’s continued growth, as well as our thirst for learning and education,” Madison Mayor Paul Finley said.

“As Mayor and Council, we are so excited to see this state-of-the-art facility come to fruition, and we appreciate the time, efforts and planning that have gone into this project,” Finley said. “Our Madison library will now be sized for success, and a gem within the City of Madison for years to come.”

The City of Madison provided most funding for this $10.2-million project. Huntsville Library Foundation and a generous donation from Redstone Federal Credit Union spearheaded fundraising efforts.

“We are so grateful for the City of Madison’s support of this important community resource, as well as all who donated to the campaign. As we continue to grow and develop, we are confident that we will be able to serve the people of Madison with this library for many years to come,” Sledge said.

The new library will feature 21st-century amenities including the first bookstore-model layout in the Huntsville-Madison County system. Steering away from traditional organization, this concept will be grouped similar to bookstores by subject and Dewey Decimal number.

In addition, the new library will feature ‘creature comforts,’ like private study rooms, indoor fireplace with quiet-reading areas, separate children’s storytime room and outdoor seating.

Technological innovations include a creativity lab, large outdoor movie screen, ‘tween’ gaming center and an interactive, early-literacy center. Patrons can check out laptops at to use within the library.

For more information, visit Facebook/Madison Public Library or hmcpl.org.