The project was funded by a gift from the estate of Leroy Roesel, a regular patron of the library before his death, and money from the Hamilton Community Foundation Fund, said Library Director Joe Greenward.
The Technology Center shares the first floor of the Robinson-Schwenn Building on High Street, but has its own entrance off of Journal Square.
The new services would include access to three-dimensional printers and other advanced hardware, access to advanced software and computer and technology training. A “discovery center” near the front door will allow patrons to try out the latest computer and tablet technology, and all of the furniture is designed with the computer user in mind.
People can bring in their own laptops and connect to the Wi-Fi, Greenward said, but there will be many computers available for use, including a collection of Chrome laptops.
The move has been necessitated by the abundance of computer activity at the Library’s Third Street location, but it also allows the library to provide new services such as computer classes. There will also be a public meeting space.
Greenward said that the Third Street location had 97,845 Internet sessions last year, totalling 51,023 hours of usage, a 20 percent increase over 2011.
The facility, designed by Mike and Cindy Dingledein of Community Design Alliance, is a unique blend of the old and the new.
Wherever possible, the Dingledeins incorporated some of the architectural features of the oldest parts of the building while still making it look modern, said library spokesperson Carrie Mancuso, pointing out an old decorative column exposed in a clean white wall and glimpses of old tin ceiling tiles through the modern style drop ceilings.
“It’s a great environment to be creative in,” Mancuso said.
There is also an advanced security system to protect the computers and other equipment, Greenward said.
“It is an incredible facility,” said Hamilton City Manager Joshua Smith in his State of the City address on Thursday. “It is hard to describe it until you walk into it.”
Smith said that the project is a model of the kinds of projects that need to be replicated to create a sense of vibrancy downtown.
“When you think about what True West has been able to do since they moved into Robinson-Schwenn, and LifeRay, this is Hamilton’s future,” he said, “small scale development… where we have available office space at lower rates.”
After the Operation Pumpkin preview, the Community Technology Center will keep regular hours — noon to 8 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and closed Sundays.
The center created one full-time and two part-time jobs, Greenward said.
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