After the Advanced Learning Library opened in 2018, a committee comprised of City Council and Library Board members developed Focused on Community: A Master Plan for the City of Wichita's Branch Library System 2019-2023 . This plan made multiple recommendations, including:
- The Evergreen Branch should be remodeled to incorporate services of the Evergreen Neighborhood Resource Center
- The Linwood Branch should be relocated from inside the Linwood Recreation Center to an area more centrally located in southeast Wichita
- The Westlink Branch should be expanded in its current location to approximately 18,000 square feet with additional parking to better support the number of concurrent visitors at the library
The plan also called for making facility updates to the Alford, Angelou, and Rockwell branch libraries.
Neighborhood Library Campaign
The Wichita Library Foundation has launched the Neighborhood Library Campaign to help fund facility and equipment needs at the Alford, Angelou, Rockwell, and Westlink branches.
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Current Project
In 2023, the City Council approved the budget for the Alford, Angelou, and Rockwell remodels. The scope of the Rockwell project increased to include expansion of the facility. Final budget approval for all three projects took place in August 2024.
Rockwell's ceremonial groundbreaking took place on July 18, 2024. During the initial phase of construction, the branch stayed open while the addition was built. Rockwell formally closed at the end of business on March 16, 2025 to allow construction work to move into the original part of the building. Rockwell is scheduled to reopen on Monday, September 8.
Relocated and Reopened Buildings
Services from the Linwood Park Branch moved to the new Dr. Ronald W. Walters Branch in February 2021.
From December 2020-January 2022, the Evergreen Branch operated from the Evergreen recreation center while the Evergreen library building was remodeled into the Evergreen Community Center & Library. The remodeled building opened in February 2022.
Services from the Westlink Branch were moved to a temporary site in mid-2023. On January 4, 2024, Library and City officials held a ceremonial groundbreaking at the Westlink Branch. Westlink's new drive-up window opened on March 5, 2025 with a full reopening on March 24. A grand reopening celebration took place on May 10.
Angelou was closed during remodeling with staff temporarily assigned to other locations. Angelou's groundbreaking was on October 16, 2024. Angelou reopened on March 17, 2025 with temporary shelving. Permanent shelving was installed in April. A grand reopening celebration took place on May 31. The last of the building's artwork is currently in production, and a community garden concept is in the planning stage.
Alford's construction began in January 2025 and was substantially completed in June. The Alford project primarily consisted of an interior model. During the first phase, limited services were offered from the community meeting room while the main portion of the building was closed. The branch closed briefly to allow construction to transition from the main library space into the meeting room and for staff to return materials to shelves. A grand reopening celebration took place on August 23. Outdoor work, including the addition of a StoryWalk®, is in the planning stage.
