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CHICAGO (AP) — A new library branch with special early literacy learning features has opened on Chicago's Northwest side.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Public Library Commissioner Brian Bannon and local officials took part in the Albany Park branch opening ceremony on Friday.
The new 16,300-square-foot branch is nearly 6,000 square feet larger than the previous library, which served the community for 50 years.
The Albany Park Branch features the first Chicago Public Library self-checkout station. The $15 million construction project also includes an early literacy and learning space that is expected to serve as a model for children's areas at library branches in the city moving forward.
"Nowadays, a library is more than a place to shelve books," Alderman Margaret Laurino said in a statement. "The old building wasn't designed to serve us the way we need today."
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