After lobbying for a full-service public library for nearly 100 years, residents of South Park will finally get what they've been asking for when a new Seattle Public Library branch opens there Sept. 9.

From 1908 to 1946, South Park residents could borrow books from the library system through "deposit stations" set up in local pharmacies and general stores. Since 1947, a bookmobile service has provided the community limited access to library materials.

Then, when the Libraries for All bond measure passed in 1998, residents began to compile hope for a full service branch of their own. But South Park, a small community located on the west bank of the Duwamish River, didn't appear on a list of neighborhoods to receive new or improved public libraries from the bond measure.

Linda Larson, library steward for the South Park branch and former member of the library board of trustees, said the board didn't initially consider South Park as a candidate for a library because "there was an assumption that it wasn't a residential community."

But some residents were determined to convince the board that South Park was not only residential, but a vibrant and growing community in need of basic resources like a library, said South Park resident Bob Anderton.

"They told us 'you made a mistake, there is a growing residential base here, and we really want a library,'" said Larson.

The South Park neighborhood was targeted in city land use planning to become mostly commercial and industrial, but the area continues to grow as more young families and immigrants move into the area to take advantage of cheaper housing costs. During the last several years as other communities were getting their libraries spruced up or torn down for brand new buildings, South Park - a community that had never had a library to begin with - was still left without.

In 2000, Anderton and other South Park residents formed the South Park Library Steering Committee and applied for the Opportunity Fund, a portion of the 1998 bond set aside to provide library services for underserved communities.

"We don't have the residential density that say a neighborhood like Queen Ann does, but when the actual amount of people that live and work in South Park is considered, its actually more than those dense neighborhoods," said Anderton, chairman of the South Park Library Steering Committee. "We also have a preponderance of young people so access to a library is really important."

Access to books and computers could make a huge difference for the many South Park residents who are low-income or English language learners, he said.

"This is the kind of development that is not about gentrification - it's making it better for everyone," said Anderton. "This is not a Starbucks."

Anderton couldn't help but recognize the new library came too late for "people who have come and gone from South Park and who could have developed literacy and didn't."

"But it's a wonderful development for now and the future," said Anderton. "Who could be against a library?"

The library committee convinced the board that accessing nearby public libraries was not easy for many residents, many of whom do not have cars and rely heavily on public transportation, said Anderton.

West Seattle, High Point and Delridge branches are all more than 4 miles from where the new South Park library is. And though the central branch downtown is the farthest away at about 6.5 miles, it's the only one accessible by King County Metro Transit service.

The library has received "overwhelming community support" since the start, said Anderton, and that hasn't dwindled.

"They are just so excited about getting a library," said Larson. "The construction crew says people drive by and honk and give them the thumbs up."

Theresa Mayer, manager of the south park branch, said the library staff is as equally eager to welcome visitors.

"We could be introducing a whole new concept to people who have never experienced a public library," Mayer said. "A library plays a special role for creating a learning atmosphere and a place to pursue interests. It's an important place for people to try to improve their lives."

Located at 8604 Eighth Ave. S. at South Cloverdale Street, the new library is in the heart of South Park's civic center. Just blocks away from the neighborhood's community center and neighborhood center, Mayer said she hopes the library will become another local gathering spot.

Two inspirations are incorporated into the design of the 5,000 square-foot branch; Latin American architecture to reflect the heritage of many South Park residents and a tribute to the area's natural landscape.

A courtyard, small cutout windows and an earth-toned stucco fa