Closed since 2016, Kingston's main library reopens today
When Laura Carter's seven-year-old daughter got a sneak peek of the children's area inside Kingston's refurbished central library, she was blown away.
"She really was in awe!" said Carter, the Kingston Frontenac Public Library's (KFPL) director of branch experience.
"I ordered the furniture, so I know everything that's there. But she hadn't seen it at all, and didn't really know what to expect."
That reaction is one Carter's hoping to see in spades Saturday morning, when the KFPL finally unveils the overhauled Johnson Street branch, closed since late 2016 for a $13.8-million renovation project.
The revamped central library will feature — in addition to that fancy new children's nook — brighter colours, more accessible shelving, spaces to charge electronics, and a slimmer-yet-more-focused collection of books.
"It's seems a little bit surreal that, on Saturday, the building's going to be full of people," Carter told CBC News two days before the unveiling.
"It's almost like turning it back over to the community again."
Opening delayed
Kingston's central library moved into its current location in 1978.
In 2013, a KFPL study determined the branch's heating and electrical systems needed to be replaced. Given the "pretty destructive" nature of that work, Carter said it made sense to completely redo the library's interior at the same time.
The library closed in November 2016 after KFPL secured the go-ahead from city council to renovate the branch, adjoined to an early 19th-century limestone building that was the former home Alexander Macdonell, Kingston's first bishop.
The branch was initially supposed to reopen in the spring of 2018, but that deadline wasn't met.
Then, heavy rain in August caused water damage, setting the completion date back even further.
Attachment to current building
Now, with the work finally done — a bit late, Carter said, but also on budget — the library opens to the public at 11 a.m. today.
There will be tours, storytelling, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
While other cities like Ottawa have chosen to build entirely new central branches, Carter said that was never really considered in Kingston.
"In downtown Kingston, there isn't really much available real estate. We're really in a great central spot here. We're also in a heritage building," she said.
"There's quite a lot of attachment to this building as the library in Kingston, as the central branch. So we've done our best to honour that in the renovation."
During the renovations, library system patrons had access to a now-closed secondary branch on nearby Wellington Street, as well as a "pop-up" library at Artillery Park.
To mark the reopening, Kingston transit is also free all day.
