My town, Gallatin, TN, dedicated its new public library on Nov. 16, with a parade that included a fire truck and a high school marching band, some great singing, cookies and several hundred citizens. The new structure replaces a 40-plus-year-old library long since outgrown by the population and by readers' needs.

I've written about the library project elsewhere on this blog, so I will try not to repeat myself. The fruit of about five years of planning, fundraising and finally, construction, the new library still has some maturing to do. The old library's book collection looks tiny in the spacious new digs. Economic woes mean that hours and staffing will be less-than-ideal for at least this year.

But right now, everyone is reveling in the accomplishment of a project many thought couldn't happen - even those involved had doubts at times after fundraising began and other worthwhile projects cropped up seeking donations, as well.

The new library's courtyard is paved with bricks, of which more than 1,000 carry engraved names honoring and remembering friends, family and even a few nationally known political figures. There are also bricks dedicated to local heroes, including a young Marine KIA in Iraq.

The interior is open and airy and decorated in cool neutral tones that give it a kind of understated elegance - as the contractor described it, the decorator used moderately priced materials to create a higher-priced look.

The children's library area - bigger than the entire old library - has stuffed animals scattered around and brighter accent colors. There's a great sofa, just right for one adult to stretch out and read, or maybe a dozen little ones to sit and listen to a story.

The librarians said groups had already signed up for the large, flexible meeting rooms, and I am sure people will be eager to rent to space for gatherings and parties, what with the balcony overlooking Main Street.

Sometimes projects like this proceed by fits and starts, with rancor and wrangling and lots of egos wadding up. This project didn't have any of that. Vendors went above and beyond to help put their materials to maximum best use, such as suggesting how to employ stone in more creative ways than we imagined. People worked late, met early and spent hours meticulously watching every penny and bolt.

The site previously held a bank, and before that, had been the Roxy Theater. A private home stood there before the Roxy, which burned many years ago. Photos of the previous buildings and a model of the Roxy form a display at the library.

Although construction took about 18 months, it was only in the last couple of weeks that the building seemed to materialize on the downtown square. And when we noticed it, we marveled at how the design seemed to blend in well with the other buildings, some of which have been there more than a century. It's like it was looking for a home, and when it found one, we wondered what took so long for it to arrive.