The Calgary Public Library is in the planning stages for a new central library that will replace the outdated current facility. This is the largest project ever undertaken by the Calgary Public Library, and the Library Board is taking the time to ensure it is done properly. Firm details of the project will begin to emerge in 2007, but the new central library is still some years away from construction. Ideally, it will open in time for the Calgary Public Library's 100th Anniversary in 2012.
Built on dreams and opened in 1912, Calgary Public Library has played an essential role in the educational, cultural and social life of Calgary, variously described as "the people's university", "Calgary's temple of knowledge" and the "heart of the community".
Central Memorial Park was the site of Alberta's and Calgary's first public library, and was financed by the American philanthropist, Andrew Carnegie and The City of Calgary. Until 1963, it was considered the main branch and headquarters of a growing public library system, providing circulation and information services to Calgarians, and operation support for other branches. It was also used extensively as a cultural resource by arts groups, and played an important educational role in the city, including hosting university classes prior to the opening of the University of Calgary.
Today, Memorial Park Library is as a valued branch library, serving a growing number of inner city Calgarians.
In 1963, the new Central Library opened on the northeast corner of 7th Avenue and Macleod Trail SE, a prime location in Calgary's burgeoning downtown. It was expected that the new Central Library would have sufficient space for at least 25 years, but with the dynamic growth in population, a second adjoining building was added to the north, in 1974.
Consisting of 155,572 (gross 167,500) sq. ft., the Central Library remained largely unaltered until the early 1990s, when a renovation created more space for public use, achieved efficiencies, relocated the entrance to the Macleod Trail and 7th Avenue corner, and refurbished most public areas.
Located in a very visible, strategic downtown location, the present Central Library functions as the heart and hub of the Calgary Public Library system, and serves the entire city as a whole as well as 156,000 downtown residents and workers. It is Calgary's main "library" and provides the foundation and functional support for an integrated network of 17 libraries across Calgary.
The Central Library has the largest collections of materials, the widest variety of formats, and the greatest breadth and depth of information resources of any library location. Lounge seating and quiet study spaces are available, as are public computers, a language learning lab, meeting rooms, a theatre and a café.
Calgary Public Library is proud of almost a century of excellent service to Calgarians. Few organizations in the city are as valued or as customer focused. From the nearly 31 million day-to-day interactions staff have with the public each year, to conducting focus groups and regular public opinion surveys, the Library keeps its finger on the pulse of the city.
During the past decade the Calgary Public Library has accommodated explosive city growth and the increasing demand of library facilities by building 4 new library branches, and expanding 2 existing branches to increase capacity. In addition, all branches have been refurbished to address aging infrastructure and lifecycle maintenance needs. However, nearly 50% of the Library's service points are more than 40 years old.
The Calgary Public Library is especially proud of the following accomplishments:
Calgary Public Library Director, Gerry Meek, has said, "The Library is the most public of all public places – a dynamic people space – and it should be a landmark of what Calgary aspires to be as a community." As we begin laying the foundation for the next 100 years of service, a new central library will be the cornerstone of this vibrant library system and Calgary's knowledge economy.