New, State-of-the-Art West Las Vegas Library Opens Its Doors

The 41,178 sq. ft. Facility Becomes a Dynamic Hub for Literacy, Technology, Small-Business Development, and Community in the Historic Westside

LAS VEGAS (December 9, 2025) – The Las Vegas-Clark County Library District on Dec. 9, 2025, marked the grand opening of the new West Las Vegas Library with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a day filled with celebratory events and activities for all ages. The trailblazing, two-story facility is designed to serve as a vibrant center for learning, creativity, and connection. Located at 1861 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. – just a half a mile from its now-closed former location on West Lake Mead Boulevard – the new branch brings expanded resources, amenities, and hands-on experiences to the Historic Westside. It is a long-anticipated dream come true for one of Clark County’s oldest communities.

Spanning two stories at 41,000+ square feet, the library’s spectacular new home is more than double the size of its predecessor. An architectural gem, it fulfills a goal of significantly increasing opportunities for local residents through robust children’s programming, literacy services, interactive technology, job skills development, and cultural celebration.

Prior to the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Library District Executive Director Kelvin Watson was joined by state and local officials to celebrate the opening of this momentous addition to the Las Vegas community as a whole. Speakers included: Dr. Lawrence Weekly, chief of staff & director of diversity, equity and inclusion at the College of Southern Nevada; Dr. Keith Rogers, Library District Board of Trustees Chair; Steven Horsford, U.S. Congressman (via video); Shelley Berkley, Las Vegas Mayor; Shondra Summers-Armstrong, Las Vegas City Councilwoman; William McCurdy, Clark County Commissioner; Mel Green, principal, KME Architects; Gene Collins, former State Assemblyman; Claytee D. White, inaugural director of the UNLV Libraries Oral History Research Center; and Cedric Crear, community leader.

“The West Las Vegas Library has been a vital community anchor since the first library was established on D Street in 1973, spearheaded by civil rights activist Ruby Duncan, former Assemblyman Gene Collins, and other local leaders,” said Kelvin Watson, executive director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District.

“This beautiful building is a warm and welcoming space where children, grandchildren, and generations to come can access school readiness programs, literacy skills, and career advancement, plus fun and engaging live performances, art openings, creative workshops, storytimes, and much more.”

On opening day, the public was treated to free family-friendly events, food trucks, a community vendor fair, STEAM learning, live music and dance performances, art activations, and exhibits throughout the building. Tours of special features included: the Innovation Lab; the Westside Studio multimedia lab and recording studio; a Digital Memories Preservation Lab; a Teen Zone with lots to keep young minds learning; and an Event Center for hosting large live performances, public meetings, and rental availability for private events. In addition, there is a unique, secondstory room with an outdoor terrace that can also be rented for private gatherings.

The new West Las Vegas Library offers innovations to meet the needs of a diverse and growing population, including an Adult Learning Program, EmployNV Career Hub, increased on-site parking, a dedicated Outdoor Event Plaza, and an exterior LED video wall.

Along with its state-of-the-art design, the new space also offers extraordinary installations from local artists and creators, including specialized “book benches” that depict various classic literature titles and inspirational quotes and phrases. The interior is further adorned with a stunning timeline mural, which illustrates the rich history of the Historic Westside.

Project History
Part of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, the West Las Vegas Library is celebrating more than 50 years as a community anchor in the Historic Westside. Opened originally as a storefront on “D” Street in 1973, and later growing to a 16,000+ square-foot, stand-alone branch on West Lake Mead Boulevard in 1989, the new location on North Martin Luther King Boulevard reflects another important milestone in the Library District’s service to this neighborhood. The new library building is within approximately 3 miles of 14 public and private schools – 8 elementary schools, 2 middle schools, and 4 high schools.

The Library District Board of Trustees is grateful to the City of Las Vegas for the opportunity to relocate the library to this vacant 5.25-acre parcel of land. This mutually beneficial transaction not only allows for a dramatic expansion of the new library’s space, it also returns the existing library building on West Lake Mead Boulevard to the city for future use.

The project is being made possible through the joint efforts of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District, the City of Las Vegas, and the Library District Board of Trustees, and with special funding from the New Markets Tax Credits Program and $500,000 in Federal Community Project Funding facilitated by U.S. Congressman Steven Horsford.

West Las Vegas Library
FACT SHEET

Exterior Building Features

Architecturally, the building blends cultural symbolism with modern design. Two porch-like entrances on the north, east and west bookend the library, opening onto spacious plazas that connect indoor and outdoor circulation paths. These thresholds create welcoming gathering places, echoing traditional Southern architecture while reflecting the community’s values of openness and togetherness. A breezeway courtyard off the west porch provides shaded outdoor space for social events and pre-functions to the adjacent multipurpose event center. Large windows frame scenic views, while landscaping with native planters and “urbanscape” elements integrate the library into its surroundings and create a natural connection to the nearby Historic Westside Legacy Park.

• Outdoor Event Plaza
• Dramatic windows for natural light
• Exterior LED video wall measuring 52.8 feet x 19.8 feet
• 2nd story outdoor deck
• Expanded on-site parking
• Four Electric Vehicle charging stations
• Book Drop
• Silver LEED Certified Building Page 4 of 6 Interior Rooms & Spaces
• Dedicated Art Gallery – Featuring local and national artists
• Westside Studio – A multimedia lab with podcasting studios, recording rooms, rendering equipment, music production equipment, and a green screen. Record your own vocals, borrow an instrument from the library, or bring your own to record your music.
• Event Center – A multipurpose room for special events, activities, and live performances; also available to rent for public meetings and private functions
• Digital Memories Preservation Lab - The lab provides DIY equipment for converting legacy media (home movies or videos, audio, photographs, and slides) into newer formats. We provide step-by-step instructions, but you control the process from start to finish.
• Innovation Lab – Sewing machines, DJ equipment, STEAM and STEM activities.
• 3D Printing Lab – Learn how to use 3D printers and print your projects for free. Be sure to check out the overhead mobile consisting of whimsical characters and objects created in the library's 3D printing labs. • Bookstore – Low prices on gently-used library books.
• Teen Zone – Teens in grades 6-12 are invited to hang out in the Teen Zone! Check out a Chromebook, play video games, make crafts, or just enjoy your own space to chill.
• Study Rooms – Equipped with monitors and reservable rooms
• Business Center – Includes Business Librarian, a conference room and two rentable rooms
• Separate Computer Labs for Adults & Children
• Adult Learning Program & Literacy Classroom
• EmployNV Career Hub

Business Services

• Event & Meeting Room Rentals
• Scanners, copiers, and fax machines
• Free WiFi

Programming Highlights

K-12 Educational Support & Digital Literacy Training
Digital literacy is the key component to reading, learning, higher education, and career success in our economy. The new West Las Vegas Library will provide:

• Free services for reading and literacy at all skill levels
• Early childhood development, school readiness, K-12 academic support, and out-of-school learning
• Business development, career, and employment training
• Access to computers, WiFi, digital instruction, English language & citizenship instruction, digital media production

Career Advancement & Small Business Development

• Seven-day-per-week services will be provided by the Library District’s Adult Learning Program. As in other Library District branches, the program will feature training and employment resources using the library’s classrooms, computer labs, study rooms, and FREE WiFi to help teens through adults develop new skills for 21st Century jobs.
• Our Adult Learning Program offers language skills, high school diploma programs, resume writing, plus small business development, and support through our community partners.

Collection Highlights

The new West Las Vegas Library holds an all-new collection of 60,000 volumes, double the quantity of items that were available from the previous branch on West Lake Mead Boulevard. Highlights include:

• The Historical African American Collection has been transferred to the new branch.
• Material is available in multiple languages including over 10,000 volumes in Spanish, or 20% of collection.
• Material is available for adults, teens, and kids and includes large print, graphic novels, textbooks, and a large urban fiction collection.
• The Digital Entrepreneur’s Bookshelf features up-to-date material on creating a successful start-up business.
• The West Las Vegas Library will have the Library District’s first Business Librarian who will help navigate print and digital business resources.
• The collection will include titles in support of Westside Studio multimedia lab for podcasting and recording.
• More than 100 magazines and newspapers in both English and Spanish.
• Special non-book items include:        
  • A popular Toy Library, including American Girl dolls and Playaways (preloaded audiobook devices for adults, teens, and kids)
  • Video games for adults, teens, and kids
  • DVDs and Blu-rays for adults, teens, and kids
  • Coming in 2026: Library of Things, a collection of high-interest, consumer-use items

Art Gallery & Permanent Installations

The West Las Vegas Library features additions to the Library District’s art collection chosen specifically for the new building. These include the works by many local Las Vegas artists. Also on view will be favorite works from the previous library on Lake Mead Boulevard by artists like Elizabeth Catlett, Beni Cassell, and Vicki Richardson.

West Las Vegas Art Gallery - First Floor
The Library District houses dedicated art galleries at 12 branches which showcase approximately 80 diverse exhibitions annually. These galleries provide a platform for local, national, and international artists, creating opportunities to engage with the public through visually and conceptually stimulating artwork and related programs.

The first exhibition at West Las Vegas Library is Obsidian & Neon: Building Black Life and Identity in Las Vegas, a pictorial-essay installation featuring black-and-white photography by awardwinning photojournalist Jeff Scheid, paired with narrative profiles curated by writer Erica VitalLazare. The exhibition will be on display Dec. 9, 2025, through March 1, 2026. The gallery is open during library operating hours and admission is free.

Historic Timeline – First and Second Floors
The evolution of the Historic Westside and global events are mapped out along the staircase that leads to the second floor. Designed by local artist Victoria Hart and developed by Tyler D. Parry, Ph.D., UNLV Associate Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies.

Tuskegee Airmen Tribute – First Floor
The small display commemorating the Tuskegee Airmen -- the first African American military aviators in the U.S. armed forces -- formerly housed at the branch on West Lake Mead Boulevard has been expanded in the new library. Located in the Tween area of the Youth Services department, the new tribute includes a mural with historical information, archival photos, and a 5- foot replica of planes flown by the airmen flew in World War 2.

Book Benches - Exterior
The Library District commissioned seven local artists to design the Book Benches on the building's exterior. Each artist was asked to select a design theme from a list of provided book titles, quotes, or phrases. Participating artists and their inspiration include:

• Dominique Chavira - James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
• Joseph Watson - Imagine. Create. Inspire.
• Joyce Guerrera - Discover Your Story
• Shan Michael Evans - A Library by Nikki Giovanni
• Alexandria Pereda - The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Pwoz - Moby Dick by Hermann Melville
• Adolfo Gonzalez - Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

About the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District

The award-winning Las Vegas-Clark County Library District is an independent taxing entity that serves a diverse community across 8,000 square miles. Through its 25 branches and website, the Library District offers a collection of 2.8 million items, including books, movies, music (including streaming and downloadable), online resources, and free programs for all ages. The Library District’s new Free To Be public education campaign demonstrates the vital and vibrant role that the library plays in Las Vegas, offering unexpected experiences; limitless learning; business and career advancement; government and social services support; and best of all, a place where customers find a sense of culture and community. For more information, and to support Library District programs, please visit TheLibraryDistrict.org.