When Regina’s central library was built in 1962, the capital of Saskatchewan had 110,000 people.
Fast forward 60 years and the chair of the Regina Public Library (RPL)’s board of directors says they can’t meet their current and expected need without more resources and more space.
Sean Quinlan said in a media release that after years of assessments and study on the current building, a decision to build a new building will be put to the RPL board at a public meeting September 27th.
The RPL was asked Wednesday by Regina City Council’s Executive Committee to provide an update on their plans to renew Regina’s central library.
The current central Regina Public Library is home to the RPL Film Theatre and Dunlop Art Gallery as well as a state of the art digital audio/visual recording studio.
In the release he said a new Central Library will offer Regina a beautifully designed sustainable building with room for gatherings, cultural celebrations and programs as well as a wide collection of books and resources.
“The library’s purpose is to provide community services, spaces, collections, and technologies to inspire discovery, learning, and connection,” Quinlan said in the release.
According to information supplied by the RPL, there was been $3.2 million on necessary building maintenance “to keep the building safe and open for business’, and that the current space does not have the flexible design required to provide modern library services to the public.
Currently, the library offers programs and events like regular appearances from the Regina Symphony Chamber Players, Small Business Week workshops, National Indigenous History Month speakers and events, and access to programs like Pro Bono Law, AIDS Program South Saskatchewan, Thrive Counselling and others.
