On May 1 , hundreds gathered for the highly-anticipated groundbreaking ceremony for the new Aurora Public Library . From pre-school students to senior citizens who have been patrons of the library for over 50 years , the crowd cheered and counted down as the shovels went into the ground !

Located on the corner of River and Benton Streets , the new $ 28 million dollar , 92,000 square foot main library will be a state-of-theart technological and educational epicenter for Aurora .

Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White recently visited Aurora to present a $ 10.8 million check from the Public Library Construction Act grant that will be applied to the total costs of construction .

Expected to open in late 2014 or early 2015 , the new library will include such amenities as :

• 80 public internet access computers

• 20 small and large group study spaces

• 6 public meeting program rooms

• 2 quiet reading rooms

• A specialized meeting space for teens

• State-of-the-art technology at the main branch and technological improvements at the satellite branches

Rendering of the new state-of-the-art public library Officials break ground ( l to r ) Alderman John “ Whitey ”

Peters , President of the Library Board John Savage , Congressman Bill Foster , Library Executive Director Eva Luckinbill , Mayor Tom Weisner , Alderman Mike Saville

Secretary of State Jesse White presents check to library officials .

SEPT 11-OCT 6 , 2013 OCT 30-NOV 24 , 2013 JAN 15-FEB 9 , 2014 MAR 12- APR 6 , 2014