New West residents are invited to book it to the New Westminster Public Library to celebrate its recent renovation.
The City of New Westminster is celebrating the recently completed upgrades and interior renovations to the uptown library on Saturday, June 8 from noon to 3 p.m. The official ribbon‐cutting with Mayor Jonathan Cote, members of the library board and other civic officials will take place at 2 p.m., with cake and refreshments to follow.
“This celebration caps off a lot of hard work to update and revitalize the library’s historic main branch,” said chief librarian Julie Spurrell in a press release. “It’s our way of officially welcoming the community back and provides a sneak peek of the innovative programming and services we’ll be offering.”
Visitors are invited to tour the library’s refreshed interior and revitalized spaces; learn about children’s coding; explore library ChromeBooks, Kobos and other equipment available for loan; and visit the new digital conversion station.
“They are part of a suite of ‘creation stations’ that will be rolled out through time, each encouraging members of the community to engage in exploration, learning and discovery through use of digital media technology,” Christopher Koth, the library’s manager of programs and community development, said in an email to the Record. “The conversion stations themselves consist of three units each with a specific conversion function focusing on formatting of vinyl records, VHS or photos into digital format. The service is free and allows customers to have a starting place in finding new ways to access and preserve their analogue media.
Kids attending the free celebration can explore coding with Sphero Balls, channel their inner architect with Keva Planks or get creative with chalking activities. Other highlights of the day include musical performances by New Westminster Secondary School’s Jazz Quintet and a photo booth.
Work on infrastructure improvements throughout the interior and exterior of the library began in October 2017, including upgrades to ceilings, HVAC ducting, lighting, windows and electrical systems. Interior enhancements include refurbished public washrooms, the addition of a study room, the creation of a dedicated teen space and construction of a new Technology Learning Centre on the second floor.
“All program rooms now feature upgraded digital media technology, enhancing programming and meeting space for the community,” said a press release from the library. “The addition of wooden ends to library shelving, as well as adjustments to collections, have resulted in a lighter and brighter interior all centering around a newly consolidated public service desk using state-of-the-art technology.”
