You have to admire the enthusiasm and persistence of Guelphites who keep promoting and supporting the idea of a new main library near the north end of Wyndham Street. Although it’s been many years since a new library there was first proposed, enthusiasts have kept tending the flame.
Perhaps the most visible sign of this is the annual Giant Used Book Sale. It’s being put on for the sixth year by the Friends of the Guelph Public Library from Oct. 19-21, with proceeds going to the new library project.
This month, a city council committee got an update from the library’s CEO and board chair on the latest plans for the library. Their report says the 90,000-sq.-ft. library is to include a 13,000-sq.-ft. children’s department, as well as a main-floor seniors’ area “with comfortable, wheelchair-accessible furniture.” A 3,500-sq.-ft. teen department, described as a much-needed addition to the library, will include “sound abatements,” lots of technology and “teen-friendly furniture.” Local history documents are to find a home in the Guelph Room on the new library’s third floor. Also proposed is 8,300 square feet of rentable community space in a new library building seen as being part of a mixed-use development, which could include retail, housing, underground parking and more.
Sounds like something worth waiting for.