Literary lovers now have a new sun-kissed spot to explore new worlds, with St. Albert Public Library’s soft opening of its new location in Jensen Lakes.
The new storefront location in north St. Albert will officially be open on Thursday, but its grand opening will not be until Jan. 18.
St. Albert Public Library chief executive officer Peter Bailey said the opening of a new library location is a “dream come true.”
“We are incredibly excited about opening up this for the public, for the people of St. Albert,” he said. “It's been a long time coming to have a second location and it's really a dream come true.”
The 4,000-square-foot storefront location was a good halfway solution to address growing demand but acknowledging residents were not supportive of a full 53,000-square-foot branch library, Bailey said.
Instead, the new location is being leased from Melcor Developments Ltd., and will share the building with two other tenants, including a yoga studio and hair salon.
Timelines for the new library were ambitious, after the location was announced in May and the library board took possession of the space Oct. 1 and began outfitting the interior.
While the space is small, it is a “good design” and there is a “little bit of space for everything,” Bailey said. That includes items like a quiet area with restaurant-style booths, a “tiny” breakout room for four people and a children’s interactive unit with puzzles and games.
“Everything’s kind of miniaturized,” he said.
Over the holiday season, library staff have been working hard to stock the new library with 78,000 books, audio books and CDs – what Bailey dubbed the “greatest hits.”
“We hoped to open before Christmas, like quietly, but we want to make sure everything is working well before we open the doors to the public,” he said.
When council approved the storefront location, $800,000 was budgeted for capital and for operations. Bailey said the location will require just under $400,000 in operational costs in 2020.
During a year-end interview with the Gazette, city councillor Jacquie Hansen described the new library as “small” and “mighty.”
“It's opening up soon, and it's little, but it's mighty and will meet the needs of families in the north,” she said.
Not only will the Jensen Lakes library expand library services in St. Albert, but Bailey said it will also make the library more easily accessible on days when it is difficult to find parking at the St. Albert Place location.
“If you're going to battle for parking downtown, there's now an option for you with plenty of parking at Jensen Lakes library,” he said. “It's kind of a little thing, but it's a big thing for quite a number of our patrons.”
Hours for the new library are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Saturday, 1 to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. The library will be closed on Mondays and Sundays.
