“Children’s Reef,” the youth section of the new Elkridge library branch, is a corner of rainbows — a vibrant coral reef mural on one wall and multicolored glass windows on another that capture the late afternoon sun, coating the floor in colors.

The decorative area is among the designs in a $33.1 million building, which replaces a library built in 1993 in the same spot on U.S.

1. The 35,000-square-foot facility, which was scheduled to make its debut with an opening on Saturday, is more than twice the size of the previous building.

Branch Manager Phil Lord said the library, which includes new “quiet study” rooms and a 1,350-square-foot “do it yourself”tool lending library called the DIY Education Center, will greatly improve the branch’s visibility.

“Customers will be freaked,” said Lord, who’s been the manager since 1993.

The branch features a water theme throughout its interior to pay homage to the nearby Patapsco River, noted Angela Brade, chief operating officer for support services.

The theme runs from the Children’s Reef to afish art installation in the vending cafe and awater art installation in the lobby.

See LIBRARY, page 4