Renovated St. Vital Library is reopened

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This article was published 04/06/2018 (2675 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

St. Vital Library is once again open for business.

The newly-renovated library, which is located at 6 Fermor Ave., officially reopened its doors on May 28 after being closed for numerous renovations, which include an upgraded entrance, washroom additions, improved parking, accessible shelving and collections layout, and a 24-book return.

City of Winnipeg officials say the library also features an indoor family literacy playground, which is an interactive, educational activity structure that supports parents and caregivers as they develop the early literacy skills of young children. The renovation is the second phase of upgrades for the heritage building, and the council-approved budget for this phase was $1.9 million. The first phase was completed in early 2016 and featured the installation of a new elevator.

Talking to visitors at the May 28 opening ceremony that included Grade 3 and 4 students from St. George School in St. Vital, Mayor Brian Bowman said the library first opened its doors on April 1, 1963 when John George Diefenbaker was Canada’s prime minister, John F. Kennedy was the President of the U.S., the Cold War was in full swing, and future hockey hero Dale Hawerchuk was about to be born.

He said the renovation project was identified as a priority in the Library Redevelopment Strategy, and that the upgrades were designed to provide users with a refurbished and more accessible facility that maintains the key heritage features of the modernist building.

Bowman said the upgrades “honour the intended spirit of the building” and enhance its role as a “positive community gathering place for many years to come.”

Coun. Brian Mayes (St. Vital), who has for years spearheaded the library’s cause, said he is proud the library has been saved from its once-intended closure and that it has been renewed for future generations.

“It’s really the little library that could,” Mayes said, listing a number of political figures that have supported saving the library, including then-St. Boniface city councillor Dan Vandal, who is now the MP for Saint Boniface-Saint Vital.

According to a news release, the library circulates more than 180,000 items and offers more than 230 programs each year.

Visit winnipeg.ca/library for more information.