FUTURE LIBRARY

The new Axumite Heritage Library will serve as a modern, well-equipped library for public and research use. The three-story structure rests on an area of 830 sq. m. (9,038 sq. ft.) and will   primarily house the library and auxiliary offices. The first floor of the library will have an enlarged reading room measuring 330 sq. m. (3,593 sq. ft.) seating 250 patrons, a stack area, a periodical section, and a business center. The second floor will host an additional reading room and stack space, seating 80 more patrons, along with the catalogue and binding rooms. The outdoor terrace on the second level will provide another 115 sq. m. (1,252 sq. ft.) of space that can be used for various library-related events and functions.

Support facilities on the ground floor will include an auditorium, classrooms, an exhibition hall, and a small cafeteria. The large split-level lobby of the new library is combined with the exhibition hall where rare manuscripts and print items will be displayed, and these areas could be combined as necessary to create larger gathering spaces. On the lower floor, three classrooms of varying sizes will be available for meetings and training purposes. The auditorium, which will accommodate up to 130 seated people on its stepped floor design, will be equipped with a stage that will be outfitted with audio-visual technology.

The new library will also hold educational and cultural programs for the public such as training in basic computer skills, reading literacy for children and adults, and public lectures on such topics as research findings in Axum or local cultural and aesthetic traditions.