For WAHS senior Mary Swanson, there’s no love lost for the old Crozet library. “What I’m going to miss most is the train; you could feel the whole building shake,” said Swanson, veteran volunteer at the library.

The opening of the newly constructed and furnished library brought dozens of families and individuals to downtown Crozet on Wednesday. The result of a massive fundraising effort, community meetings, blogs, tweets and a dedicated committee, the new library is much larger than its predecessor from across the train tracks, and will hold up to 70,000 books.

Two members of crowd celebrating the first day were Swanson and WAHS senior Ashton Leonard. Both have volunteered at the library for the last five years and say that the new building is a major change.

“I’m still getting used to [the new library]. It’s a bit overwhelming,” said Swanson. “It’s so different from the old one … it’s large, fits more than 50 people, and there’s actually room for big groups,” she said.

Leonard said, “I’ve been going to the library since I was in preschool … I love the new teen area and children’s area.”

The new additions to the library include expanded children’s and teen areas, a conference room, and more than 30 public computers. High ceilings, spacious windows and a modern design define the new building.

“The design is beautiful,” Swanson said. Leonard agreed and said, “my favorite part is the windows, they make it feel so open and nice.”

The new library will serve as a resource for students in the Western Albemarle community, and youth volunteers plan to take advantage of it.  Swanson and Leonard said that they plan to use the library to work on homework and will utilize the meeting room space for group projects. They also said that they will relax in the new space and peruse the expanding collection of books.

Sophomore Virginia Garey, also a volunteer at the library, noted the size of the library and the new opportunities that it presents for students. “The library is a great study area and has lots of great programs for teens,” she said.

Garey said that she is especially looking forward to upcoming library programs such as movie nights and murder mysteries.

An official “Grand Opening” of the library will take place on Sept. 28, where the Giving Tree, recognizing donors of $1,000 or more, will be commemorated. Among the featured donors is the WAHS Leadership program, which donated $1,000 to the Build Crozet Library fund in May 2013.