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(Salt Lake City-AP) -- Thousands of Salt Lake residents and probably more than a few who wish they lived in the capital city turned out today for the new City Library's grand opening.
With lines to get in and lines to check out books, every comfy seat taken, every computer at the Internet center occupied and every ground-floor shop mobbed, the library's hubbub was just like that of a downtown city center.
And that was the goal.
Moshe Safdie, the library's superstar architect, says he wanted the building to be more than just a place to read.
It is.
Besides its 80,000 additional books and triple the number of computers as the old main branch, there will be resources to help remodel a car, foreign language books, an extensive CD collection, and magazines and newspapers from around the world.
Inside, visitors can freely drink coffee and nibble on snacks among the stacks. In some sections, chitchatting is even encouraged.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
