There was quite the crowd waiting for the ribbon cutting outside of the Central Library in downtown Austin.
The cutting happened Saturday afternoon after the opening had been delayed in November 2016 and May 2017.
Visitors today said it was worth the wait.
“The buzz that I’m hearing from our customers that are walking in the door, they are amazed,” explained the new library director Roosevelt Weeks. “They were skeptical about what they were getting into, but when they walk into the building, they are very pleased with it.”
A lot of skepticism came from the increased price tag from $90 million to $125 million.
However, people today called it an investment in the city’s future.
“It may have cost a little more, but what is that return going to be for the investment that you put in? So, really, did it cost more or did you put the investment in the right places to get that back in a different way," asked long-time Austin resident Angela Garza.
The new library boasts six floors filled with 350,000 books, a 3-D printer, a rooftop butterfly garden, event space, and rooms filled with kid and teen-specific items.
The library also has reading rooms that give the new building a traditional feel.