Nearly 200 people showed up on October 10 for the opening of North Salt Lake's library branch, a 1,500-square-foot storefront called the Sprout tucked into a strip at 460 N. Redwood Road. The temporary location gives south Davis County residents a place to check out books, use public computers and print documents without driving to Bountiful, where the county's main branch has been closed for a major renovation since January 26.
The Sprout is an offshoot of the Twig, a similar temporary branch that opened earlier this year at 85 N. Main Street in Bountiful to keep library services available along that city's commercial corridor during construction, according to the Davis Journal. The Sprout is staffed by positions pulled from the Bountiful branch and is meant to prevent a service gap while the county's flagship library undergoes a full overhaul. Davis County Library Director Josh Johnson told the North Salt Lake City Council in July that the two-year commercial lease on the Sprout gives the system a chance to gauge local patronage and figure out whether long-term demand exists for library services in the city, according to the City of North Salt Lake.
A Small Footprint With a Lot Packed In
Despite its compact size, the Sprout holds roughly 5,000 items spanning smaller collections for all ages, along with study tables and reading chairs. The branch offers checkout, pickup and drop-off services, after-hours book returns, and pickup of holds reserved from other Davis County locations. Patrons can also access public Wi-Fi, laptop checkout, photocopying, printing and even 3D printing on-site, per the Davis Journal's reporting. The Sprout is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The branch also hosts programming for all ages, though the space's small footprint limits what kinds of events it can accommodate. Resident Sisi Harris said local excitement around the new branch comes down to convenience, since it cuts down on the travel distance residents previously faced to reach a physical library.
Why Bountiful's Library Has Been Closed
The closure driving the Sprout's creation traces back to the Bountiful Branch Library's shutdown in January, which is expected to last between 18 months and two years as crews complete a full facility renovation targeting a 2027 reopening, according to KSL.com. The project is being funded by revenue from a 2017 Davis County property tax increase dedicated to countywide library capital improvements, the same funding stream county commissioners have drawn on for other branch upgrades, as reported by Citizen Portal.
The Bountiful project follows a remodel of the Syracuse Branch in 2019 and a brand-new Clearfield Branch that opened in 2021. Architectural firm Modern Out West designed the Bountiful remodel around adaptive reuse rather than demolition, preserving the building's original 1960s brick exterior and adding a new outdoor patio. The building was vacated for abatement and structural investigation. As of September 14, a Guaranteed Maximum Price contract with Westland Construction was forthcoming, and an onsite meeting was scheduled for October 6.
A Growing City Watches a Temporary Fix
North Salt Lake's population has climbed to an estimated 23,720 residents in 2026, up 2.73% from the 2020 census count of 23,089, according to World Population Review. That growth has fueled interest in localized civic amenities like the Sprout, even though county officials have been careful to frame the storefront as an experiment rather than a commitment.
Johnson said the Bountiful satellite location appears to be performing well despite its much smaller size, but he emphasized the library system has no firm plans for future locations beyond the current construction cycle that began in 2017. New buildings and expanded services carry significant costs to the public, Johnson said, and the library depends on public support when weighing where to build next. Johnson expressed gratitude for that trust.
