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New Westminster Public Library renovations on schedule

Library to close April 17 to 19 for renovations
New Westminster Public Library
Renovations to the New Westminster Public Library are in full swing. Here, library assistant Monica Emme tends to the collection in the children’s section. The $5.5-million renovation will require renovation closures to the main branch on April 17, 18 and 19.

The $5.5-million renovation to the New Westminster Public Library is about to get real.

Wayne Werbovetski, the city’s building management coordinator, said the renovation began in mid-December and is expected to be complete in the summer of 2019.

“The contractor is moving on quite well,” he said. “All indications are he is actually ahead of schedule and he is going to maintain that schedule throughout the construction period.”

Phase 1 renovations to the basement are nearing completion, with Phase 2 renovations on the second floor set to begin in April.

“We actually have to close the library for three days in order to transition from Phase 1 to Phase 2 of the renovation,” said Erin Watkins, the library’s manager of programs and community development. “Phase 1 was really our basement, which is the not-very-visible part of our renovation.”

For Phase 2, everything from the second floor needs to be moved to the first floor/basement which requires the library to be closed to the public April 17, 18 and 19.

“Now it will become more obvious to the public that we are under renovation,” Watkins said.

Built in 1958 as a 25,000 square-foot facility, the library underwent an expansion in 1978 that expanded its size to 43,000 square feet. Today, the library is the second most-used public facility in New Westminster, with only the Canada Games Pool having more annual visitors.

The objectives of the renovation are to update building systems, improve public service and provide additional programs such as a new technology lab, a new teen area and a new circulation desk and staff workroom. The renovation includes a new second floor meeting room, updated accessible washrooms, new electrical service, improved air circulation and distribution, new ceilings and refreshed interior finishes, new windows and new LED lighting.

Phase 3, which is renovations on the main floor, is slated to begin in October.

Chief librarian Julie Spurrell said the renovations will result in enhancements of a public space, increased technology and improvements to an aging building.

“Every day, our library provides resources for the people of New Westminster. Last year over 1,400 people a day visited the library. For those people, the building is a critical piece of their lives, both for technology, social interaction, and information,” she said. “We are doing the renovation for people today and for readers and learners of the future.”

In addition to its various programs for children and youth, Spurrell said New West children and teens withdrew 247,000 books in 2017.

“It’s a very large project and it’s an expensive project, but I think it brings value and resources to the community that are really needed,” she said.

Werbovetski said the renovation to the public library will extend the life of the facility by 20 years or longer.

While there will be some disruptions to library patrons during the renovations, Mayor Jonathan Cote believes it will be well worth the wait come the summer of 2019.

“This particular facility is the second most-well-used public facility in the city next to Canada Games Pool, and certainly over the years is starting to show its age. I am really excited about the big refresh we are doing at our library,” he said. “I think it’s going to certainly keep the building going a lot longer, but it’s also going to turn our library into a more modern facility, consistent with many other more newer libraries that have come up since that library was built.”

New Westminster Public Library fast facts:

Total number of items borrowed (books, DVDs, CDs, etc.): 1,658 per day (main branch)

In-person visits: 1,192 per day (main branch)

Virtual Visits: 1,300 per day (web pages and catalogue hits)

Computer sessions: 168 per day (main branch)

Number of eBooks downloaded: 82,265 in 2017

Number of cardholders: 26,000 in 2017