SMOKEY POINT – If you love reading and the irresistible draw of an aisle of alphabetized book titles, the new Lakewood/Smokey Point Library will open in January.

The grand opening celebration begins at 9:30 a.m. Jan. 6 in space leased by Sno-Isle Libraries at 3411 169th Place NE, Suites A-C, just off Smokey Point Boulevard, next to Lowe’s and Tractor Supply.

The library will normally be open Tuesday through Saturday, but will start with special hours from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Jan. 7-8.

Customers will be able to access all materials and resources available at the other 22 community libraries across Snohomish and Island counties, Sno-Isle spokesman Jim Hills said. The library system last summer signed a five-year lease for about 4,000 square feet of space.

The Sno-Isle Library 2016-2025 Capital Facilities Plan identified that the growing Lakewood-Smokey Point community deserves better library services.

The library is considered a pilot project, enabling both Sno-Isle and the fast-growing Lakewood/Smokey Point community to see how library services can best be delivered, Hills said. It’s modeled after the Sno-Isle Mariner branch on 128th Street SW near the high school in Everett, which was also recommended for a demonstration library in the facilities plan.

The new library features a “laptop bar” at the front windows where visitors can sit on stools at tall tables and access computers or laptops via wi-fi, for a coffee shop-like experience. The Smokey Point site is in a high-traffic shopping area, on Community Transit bus service routes and near a Park and Ride center. The strip mall also houses a state vehicle licensing office, among other tenants. The facilities plan states that students, retirees and seniors will benefit most from a more easily accessible library in the vicinity. Six public schools are within three miles.

The Arlington and Marysville areas are expected to grow by 16 percent to a population of 123,497 by 2025, with most of that growth expected in Lakewood-Smokey Point.