Public Library Prepares for Huge Expansion Project

Edmonson County Public Library, Ferguson Street, Brownsville on May 6, 2026.

Darren Doyle, story and photos:
A major renovation project is about to begin at the Edmonson County Public Library that will include expansion and more services for the community. It will be significant enough that the Library will be moving into the Edmonson County 5/6 Center in June, after the 5/6 building is decommissioned as a county school at the end of this school year.

Library Director Alicia Edwards says the one million dollar expansion will allow the library to provide many more services for the community with some exciting options on the way.

"Everything we do, we are doing for our community," she said. "We want to be good stewards of library funding and this expansion will allow us to do that in so many ways, for all ages of people."

The public library is funded mainly through library taxes that are collected each year as a portion of Edmonson County property taxes. Those tax dollars can only be used for library purposes.

Edwards went down a long list of items that library users will be able to enjoy once the project is complete. Those items include a new children's area with a secure outdoor play space, new meeting rooms, a teen area with soundproof studying spaces, an additional outdoor area, and what is known as a "makerspace."

"We're really excited about our makerspace, which is something many libraries in larger areas are now providing," said Edwards. "It will offer a number of options for creation with things like 3D printers, tee shirt printing, button-making, poster printing, and a sewing machine." 

She said that there would be guidelines for exactly what could be created, and how, and some items may come at a basic cost. For example, if a person wants to print a large poster, they would only need to cover the cost of a posterboard, which may come in handy for moms that suddenly discover their child has a project due to the next day.

"Anything we can do to help the local community instead of them having to drive outside the county is what we want to do. And the projects where there might be a fee for supplies, they'll be as low as possible. Those will be the only things we'd charge for."

EC Public Library Director Alecia Edwards goes over the floorplan for the new renovation.

She said the new children's area will be a bigger space with more options and the exterior door near the tech room end of the building will lead to a secure, renovated outdoor play area underneath the awning.

​The teen area will have study pods for privacy and sound control.

"We are excited about this because we can't provide any type of real soundproof spaces in our current facility."

She also noted that the circulation desk will be moved so that library employees can face the front and greet patrons properly as they enter. 

In addition, a grant will allow the library to construct a paved walking trail behind the building on approximately one acre of ground they own. They will partner with other local entities and the trail will feature a story walk, where stories can be read along the way. 

​A new additional outdoor space with a concrete pad will be built on the south end of the building, or the right side as you face the front.

They plan on packing up and beginning their temporary move over to the 5/6 Center as soon as possible, where they will utilize the old library space there, along with 6-8 classrooms. 

"We also plan to update our exterior with a fresh look," said Edwards. "We aren't changing any of the lettering, just giving it an updated look. This project is about being more efficient and user friendly. We already have a beautiful building and this project will simply allow us to serve our community even more."

Construction is being overseen by the Alliance Corporation and is estimated to be complete in December of this year.