Book Lovers Can Play, Cook, and Craft at the New $18 Million Northeast Library in Louisville, Kentucky

Frequent library patrons may already know that libraries are good for more than checking out books. Your local free public library can be a great place to workshop your resume, take a yoga class, and even borrow fishing supplies. At the Northeast Regional Library in Louisville, Kentucky, the concept of a library as a multipurpose community center has been taken to the next level.

As WHAS11 reports, the newest branch of the Louisville Free Public Library system celebrated its grand opening on the morning of Monday, June 24. The inside of the two-story, 40,000-square-foot building is a reader's paradise. Shelves hold more than 120,000 titles, and comfortable seats and reading nooks invite visitors to get cozy with their favorite books.

When guests are finished reading, they won't have trouble finding different ways to spend their time at the library. A slide acts as a convenient shortcut to the children' literature section—or as an opportunity to play, with a ramp that makes it easy to climb to the top and slide down again.

Adults can head to the cafe for a coffee break, or visit the makerspace and use the DIY equipment there, such as the 3D printer, potter's wheel, power tools, and laser cutter and engraver. The library is also home to a recording studio, featuring a green screen and audio booth, and a kitchen where cooking demonstrations and classes are held.

The library cost $17.8 million to build, $3.8 million of which came from private donors and $14 million from public funds. Here are some more impressive libraries worth visiting.

[h/t WHAS11]