“It was difficult, for sure, but the library staff here, they came together,” said Smith. “They offered the curbside pickup, which was so great, people still had that opportunity to take out books and have services from the library like that.”
The first phase of renovations began in 2012 with the upgrades to the HVAC and windows. From then until now, with new wi-fi and plug-ins for workspaces, more modular shelves, and much brighter space, the library is hugely different.
“This is a meeting place, a gathering place,” said Prince Albert city councilor Dawn Kilmer. “A place where people can come and find the information they need. Businesses can find what they need for economic development. It’s vital. It’s the heartbeat of our community.”
As the pandemic restrictions have eased off, the library has looked to get a lot of its old programs back up and running again. As such, the end of the renovations comes at exactly the right time to welcome the public back.
“We will be able to start taking in more people,” said Smith. “More programming can restart again, that was all put on hold, any programming we had whether it was for adults, children, toddlers, babies, all of those things are going to start up again.”
Smith added the library is taking a breather from renovations, but they know their theater and meeting rooms downstairs are on the list of things they still want to improve.
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On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP