MARION — A new and highly-anticipated Marion Public Library — a “community hub” and milestone in the revitalization of the city’s Uptown historic business district — opens next week following years of planning.
Marion has been operating without a permanent, fully-open library since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020. Then the August 2020 derecho tore through the city, closing the building for good and damaging about 20 percent of the material collection.
But now, after using multiple temporary locations and leasing a location on Seventh Avenue for the better part of two years, the library is almost ready to welcome the community to its new, permanent home starting Nov. 10.
“I think this library will be a model for all libraries in the future. It’s no longer a warehouse for books…
