Charleston County library sets opening date for new Keith Summey Library branch

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - The Charleston County Public Library is less than a month away from the opening of its new 20,000-square-foot branch in North Charleston.

The Keith Summey North Charleston Library, located at 3503 Rivers Ave., will open on April 20.

The public is invited to attend a ribbon cutting at 9 a.m. that morning.

“We’re thrilled to bring the latest library resources, services and technology to this area, while also honoring the history and impact of the former Cooper River Memorial Library that once sat on this site,” Executive Director Angela Craig said. “We hope the community will join us in celebrating the opening of this brand-new hub for knowledge and connection.”

This facility is the last of five new libraries to open after the passing of a $108.5 million referendum in 2014 that called for new facilities, renovations, and updates throughout Charleston County libraries.

The branch will include numerous features:

Community and study rooms
Outdoor reading area
Self-Check kiosks and Automated Materials Handling
Creative Studios/Makerspace
Storytime room
Dedicated children and teen areas
Learning (computer) lab
Demonstration kitchen
Interactive history display

It has been built on the site of the original Cooper River Memorial Library, which opened in 1948. The new branch, designed by architects McMillan Pazdan Smith and built by MB Kahn, will incorporate a portion of the original library’s building into its structure. To honor that history, the branch will feature a unique interactive history wall to tell the story of the original branch’s inception through to the new facility.

After the 9 a.m. ribbon cutting, which will include speakers from the library and Charleston County government and North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, activities will be planned throughout the day:

Chef demos in our Cooking Classroom.
Food and refreshments courtesy of area businesses and chefs (to be announced).
A special Storytime at 11 a.m. featuring CCPL’s mascot, Owlbert, and Cool Ray from the South Carolina Stingrays hockey team.
A Teen Space Drop-in from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. including Nintendo Switch gaming, a scavenger hunt, mega-size checkers, and pizza.
Creative studio demonstrations including 3D printing of special bookmarks.
A program by CCPL Historian and producer of the Charleston Time Machine podcast Dr. Nic Butler and special guest Hester McFadden at 6 p.m. discussing the history of the Cooper River Memorial Library and its impact on the surrounding community.

Construction of the 20,000 square-foot facility began with a groundbreaking in May 2021.