Forest Park residents and those throughout Clayton County will receive a community Christmas gift Dec. 16 that Clayton County Library System Director Carol Stewart believes will be a hallmark for the city.

This is when the Clayton County Library System will debut its newest library branch at 4812 West St., across from the parking area of the First Baptist Church of Forest Park.

The ceremony will begin at 3 p.m.

Stewart said the new library structure, which replaces the old Forest Park Library which had served the area for more than 45 years, will open its doors to the public the next day. The old structure, which library officials found to have become too small for the volume of public traffic it drew with no room for expansion, will then be turned over to Forest Park officials.

The new 16,000 square-foot structure, which carried a price tag of $5.1 million, will be large enough to include amenities its predecessor was too small to accommodate.

According to Stewart, the library will have an area which offers the public 76 computers as well as a multi-purpose room, a teen room, a computer lab, a children’s program room and a homework center.

In addition, there will be a toddler area with lighting being motion-activated, which will save energy costs.

There will also be electrical outlets with USB ports in the wall available to the public.

“The new Forest Park Library will contain more than 64,000 volumes,” Stewart said.

“In addition, we will have a new feature in the building, a family quiet room, which can be used by parents if their child is acting in such a way as to disturb our other patrons,” she said. Stewart is ready for the new structure to open as it will provide more convenience to library patrons as well as the community, especially with the new community areas it offers.

“I want our patrons to see this beautiful structure, which is designed for them to enhance their library experience each time they use the library.” Stewart said.

She said the old Forest Park Library branch will officially close Monday, which means there will be a seven-day gap before the new library opens to the public the following Monday.