Linwood Park Branch Library Closing, Relocating In City Of Wichita

Press release from City of Wichita:

January 14, 2021

The Linwood Park Branch Library, located at 1901 S. Kansas inside the Linwood Recreation Center, will close at the end of business Friday, January 15, 2021 and will relocate to the new Dr. Ronald W. Walters Branch at 4195 E. Harry St.

“We are excited to move the Linwood Park Branch to a new location so we can enhance Library services and provide more opportunities to the community,” said Kristi Dowell, interim Director of Libraries. “We want to ensure customers in southeast Wichita have the capability to connect, participate and learn with their public library.”

The Walters Branch is expected to begin service on February 1. It is 6,904 square feet and will feature a self-check station, 16 public computing spaces, expanded children and teen sections, flexible seating and a meeting room with after-hours capability.

Customers who use the Linwood Park Branch Library as their main location can drop off books and other materials at the book drop at the Linwood Recreation Center through January. Staff will continue to monitor the drop. Any holds placed for Linwood between January 16 and February 1 will be placed in storage and will be available to customers to pick up at the Walters Branch on February 1.

The Linwood Park Branch Library opened as part of the Linwood Park Mini City Hall in 1981. Although several branches were originally co-located with other City services in similar facilities, the Linwood branch is the last of these libraries remaining in operation.

This move will restore library services in City Council District 3.

Information about this project can be found at www.wichitalibrary.org.

This press release was produced by City of Wichita. The views expressed here are the author’s own.