As part of an ongoing effort by the Bowling Green Public Library to better serve the residents of the city and Warren County, the Bowling Green Public Library Board of Trustees has voted to create a new Digital Learning and Access Center within the historic L&N Depot. This state-of-the-art facility will complement the soon to be renovated Main Library (located on State Street) and the two branch libraries at Sugar Maple and Smith's Grove. As the County and City continue to expand, additional library services may be added and/or consolidated to meet the needs of the citizens.

The purpose of the Access Center is to provide up-to-date access to digital information, reference materials, and training. With the advent of the world wide web, the shift to electronic commerce and the ever-increasing importance of electronic access for people of all ages and income levels the Library Board ofTrustees is committed to keeping in touch with the needs of the community. They also see the location as ideal--adjacent to the Recreation Center, conveniently located on an improving road system within the newly created Enterprise Zone, and near the proposed Riverfront Development. A primary goal is to provide a place that serves these specific community needs in a fair aud equitable way. The Depot Development Authority has applied to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for an additional $1.3 million of ISTEA funds to complete initial renovations of the depot and the surrounding site.

The planned Access Center will house a small collection of several thousand volumes, a variety of periodical titles and a collection of nonprint items such as audio books and videotapes. A large number of public network computer stations will be provided--each with access to the internet and other electronic resources. There will be a generous number of general reader seats that can be converted to electronic access stations as demand dictates. Public meeting and training facilities with a capacity to seat a total of 115 will be provided. Quiet study rooms will also be open for public use. Finally, the Access Center will house the library's computer work area.

The Access Center will be unique throughout the state of Kentucky--no other public library system in the state currently provides a branch entirely devoted to electronic media computer access for the public and on-line research capabilities. The Bowling Green Public Library and the Depot Development Authority anticipate that this partnersship will create great opportunities for historic preservation and increased library services for thc community at large.