By: Ashmar Mandou

It’s a book lover’s paradise.

On Saturday afternoon, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Chicago Public Library Commissioner Brian Bannon, Alderman George Cardenas, and other local officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony to welcome the new Back of the Yards Branch of the Chicago Public Library at 2111 W. 47th Street, adjacent to the new Back of the Yards High School.

The new addition is set to serve as a community campus, extending learning to all residents. This full service CPL branch will provide enhanced teen-focused collections to help support their coursework. Also, the CPL branch will offer neighborhood children access to early literacy programs through programs like, story times.

According to the CPL press release, the new location will include a community room, a media lab for technology training and 25 public computers. There will be designated areas for adults, teens, and children. The branch will also offer the services of a Teach in the Library, a program that provides a certified teacher on hand after school to assist students with homework.

The new CPL branch was built to receive a Silver rating under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED for Schools Rating System.