Cedar Rapids Public Library sets Sept. 19, 2026, grand opening for new Busse Branch

The Cedar Rapids Public Library's new Busse Branch will open to the public on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, with a grand opening celebration, the library announced.

The branch is located at 1845 Sandberg Lane, off 20th Avenue and Edgewood Road SW in southwest Cedar Rapids, according to the library.

The celebration begins at 10 a.m. with remarks and a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by tours, activities and refreshments until 2 p.m. The library will remain open until 5 p.m., with regular hours starting Sept. 20, the library said.

The approximately 40,000-square-foot facility replaces the Ladd Library, a leased space near Westdale Town Center, and will roughly double the collection and meeting room space available on the city's west side, according to the library.

Features include a dedicated children's library with a programming room, a young adult library, 11 study rooms, expanded meeting spaces, additional technology areas, and a larger collection of books and materials, the library said. The branch also has two outdoor courtyards, a drive-up book return, a holds pickup window, and the Bloomhall Discovery Garden, which includes an outdoor reading room, classroom, discovery areas and native plantings. The north-facing glass facade overlooks the future Allsop Park, as reported by multiple outlets.

"We're so excited to welcome our community into the Busse Branch," said Dara Schmidt, Library Director, in a news release. "Libraries are hubs of learning, exploration, and connection, and that is exactly what this new library will be."

The project was funded through a combination of public and private support. The Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation raised more than $10 million through its Inspiring Big Dreams campaign, including a $3.5 million naming gift from the Lavern T. and Audrey Busse Foundation. The City of Cedar Rapids contributed $6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, and the Linn County Board of Supervisors provided an additional $4 million in ARPA funds, according to the library.

"This library is possible because the community believed in it," said Charity Tyler, Executive Director of the Cedar Rapids Public Library Foundation. "Donors big and small came together to invest in this dream and make it a reality. The Busse Branch is an investment in the city's west side, and in Cedar Rapids' future."

The Ladd Library will permanently close after Aug. 9, 2026. The last day patrons can place holds for pickup at Ladd is July 26, and the final day to return materials there is Aug. 16, the library said.

Sandberg Lane is named for Nadine Sandberg, whose estate gift of nearly $2 million to the library foundation in 2020 was used to purchase the land for the building, according to Corridor Business. Construction on the Busse Branch began in October 2024, KCRG reported.

The adjacent city park will be named Allsop Park, following a gift from the Robert & Elizabeth Allsop Charitable Trust. The library's meeting rooms will be named the Allsop Conference and Learning Center, the library said.

"The Allsop family's gift will help shape a campus designed to serve our residents for generations," said Cedar Rapids City Manager Jeff Pomeranz in a statement. "The new Busse Branch Library will be a tremendous asset for the West Side, complementing our long-term plans for Allsop Park that will support future opportunities for learning, recreation, and community connection in one location."

Charity Tyler added, "This remarkable gift goes a long way to fulfilling our vision of a library within a park, creating a community hub that will offer much-needed park space for generations to come."