The Crossings Branch of the Lethbridge Public Library held a ceremony for the official opening of the newly renovated and expanded area of the building on April 8, 2024. (Photo: LNN)

By Christian Oldale

Lethbridge Public Library Crossings Branch unveils expanded area

Apr 8, 2024 | 1:49 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The Crossings Branch of the Lethbridge Public Library celebrated a “grand re-opening” on Monday, April 8, 2024.

Though the library stayed open during construction, Monday’s ceremony marked the official opening of the newly renovated and expanded area of the building, and held a ribbon cutting ceremony.

The Crossings Branch began construction in March 2023, and has grown by approximately 2,500 square feet and maximized the existing space. With the new space also comes more amenities and features for youths and students from the nearby schools.

Those include:

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• Expanded children’s program area, including a custom-built play structure
• A dedicated teen space
• An Indigenous gathering space
• Additional public washrooms and staff workspaces
• New furniture and interactive features

Sarah Head, Manager of Branch Services said, “We are excited to officially welcome our community into our new space, this project allows us to better serve our community, and we look forward to celebrating with our regular library patrons and welcoming new faces to the library as well.”

Head added that with many students to the library from Chinook High School and Catholic Central High School’s west campus, they wanted input on what to include, which resulted in lots of new space for books, as well as video game options.

To mark the occasion, the library put a time capsule into the floor of the building. Head says their intent is to open up the capsule in August of 2040, which would mark the 30th anniversary of the branch’s opening.

Drop-in activities including button making, video game challenges, a scavenger hunt, indigenous rock painting and others were also held to mark the opening.

READ MORE: Lethbridge News Now.

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