The location for the new library is slated for the block at Albert, Lyon, Slater and Bay streets.
A top library official says the city’s planned new central library will cause visits to “skyrocket.”
The new library, planned for an area bordered by Bay, Albert, Lyon and Slater streets, will increase attendance to 10,000 people per day. Currently, 2,500 guests visit the main branch on Metcalfe daily, says Elaine Condos, division manager, centralized and information services.
At this stage, the plan is in the hands of the city’s real estate office, which is in negotiations with four different property owners to acquire the location proposed for the building, says Pamela Sweet, vice-chair of the library board.
Upon acquiring the block at Albert, Lyon, Slater and Bay streets, city officials will report back to Council in the spring.
The property is expected to cost $26 million, says Barrhaven Coun. Jan Harder, chair of the library board. Funds for the project are are coming from the city, as well as the provincial and federal governments and fundraising.
Planning for the new central library began in 2001 and became part of the city’s financial plan in 2006.
Harder says this area of downtown is waiting for a significant change and the library is the perfect opportunity for it.
Condos says the central library will be a foundation for the other branches in the city and will have specialized services that other locations are unable to offer. such as a centre devoted to assisting disabled people and a local history centre with greater staff for research help.
“It will be a cultural and educational venue and a civic landmark available in downtown,” Condos says.
She adds the building on Metcalfe Street may be sold, but only when the new project is well underway.
However, Harder says there’s no concern that the new branch will take away from the other branches in the city, as each one contributes to the community it serves.
According to a report presented to the library board in June, the new branch will have some unique features.
These will including a welcome centre, a world news centre offering broadcasts of current affairs stories and a heritage gateway to exhibit cultural and historical displays.
The tentative plan for the library also includes a children’s services centre, a teen zone, meeting spaces and an auditorium, as well as separate centres for language and business.
Condos says the new library will be “the most exciting public building built in Ottawa for decades.”