Silver Spring has a new public library with many new features. Will this be what the new Reston Regional Library looks like?

Greater Greater Washington reports today that "Silver Spring is a more complete place thanks to its new library."  We wonder if the Fairfax County Board and Library Trustees have the imagination to make this kind of investment in Reston and the County's future. 

Here's how the article begins:

Silver Spring is a more complete place thanks to its new library

by Partap Verma   •   June 29, 2015

Downtown Silver Spring's library opened just over a week ago, and it's more than just a building full of books. The new library is full of things that are there to help the community, like meeting spaces and a coffee shop and, in the future, a transit stop.

Residents at the new library's grand opening. Images by the author unless otherwise noted. Downtowns and town centers are reemerging as increasingly important parts of their communities, and libraries are a big part of that. Parents, for example, can bring their kids during the day before hosting a book club meeting later that evening, and community leaders can use the space to host their meetings.

Meeting space at the library.

Libraries are also not strictly quiet places like they once were. Vibrancy and social connections are a big part of the library experience. You can meet friends, or have kids' play dates—here, you'd do that in the new "Early Literacy Center" on the 5th floor. If you do want the traditional solitude, you can go to a designated "quiet" room, where you can join students quietly typing on their laptops or visitors reading the newspaper. . . .

Click on the link above for more information.