After a Long Night, the New Central Library Is Approved

The session ran past midnight, the coffee ran out twice, and at the end of it the city has something to show for the lost sleep: a new central library, approved at last.

A room for everyone

The design promises long reading tables, a children's wing and a quiet rooftop. Supporters agreed on one rare point — that a city is judged by the places it keeps open and free.

A library is the most optimistic building a city can put up: it assumes people will keep wanting to read.

Construction begins next spring; entry, as ever, will be free.