Re: “Too expensive,” Letter, Oct. 1.
When I read Mike Priaro’s letter, I thought of all the Calgarians who love and use their library and who have physically worn out the old Central Library in over 50 years of daily use.
Last year, there were 5.3 million library system visits – Calgarians visit their library more than they visit the Stampede, the zoo, Heritage Park, the science centre, Stampeder football games and the Saddledome combined.
As well, there were nearly that many online visits. More than 16 million items circulated in 2013. And with true commitment, 2,300 Calgarians volunteered nearly 45,000 hours at their library.
When the Central Library was built in two stages in the 1960s and ’70s, it was designed to serve a population of 400,000, and even when first constructed, it was considered to be too small. Multiple renovations and countless upgrades later, it no longer meets the needs of Calgary’s one million plus residents.
The building is stretched beyond capacity to serve the downtown and to support the
operations of the public library system and its soon-to-be 20 community libraries.
Whether it’s repairs to the roof, or lack of electrical plugin access points for users, the building needs a lot of work. It’s time to move on.
The new Central Library is designed to serve Calgary, Canada’s fastest growing city and one that is recognized among the top five livable cities in the world.
Laura Sugimoto
Calgary
Laura Sugimoto was a Calgary Library Board member from 2001-2011.
