North Memorial Library renovation welcomes public input
CBC
Change is coming to Halifax’s North Memorial Public Library where no significant renovations have been completed since its opening in 1966.
The $34.5 million project will modernize the library, lining up the building’s accessibility features with the Rick Hansen Foundation's gold standards and improving the building's energy efficiency.
“It is a major renovation but our goal is to keep it familiar to the community,” said Megan Gainer, director of facilities with Halifax Public Libraries.
Gainer said the library has about 1,000 users per day with only one program room and one small meeting room, both of which are booked around the clock. The renovations will double the space accessed by the public by making use of the building’s lower level which has become a private area for library services such as the IT department.
“The plan is to actually take over that whole lower level again and give it back to the public,” Gainer said.
The project’s design is being guided by public input to ensure the library’s historic and community value is preserved through the renovations.
The library was built around the same time African Nova Scotians were displaced from the city’s historic Africville community. It became an important community space and saw the birth of the Black History Association in 1987. The library continues to be important to the community today; in 2019, the space was used to discuss illegal and discriminate street checks by police.
“The residents were displaced, they were put into a home that didn’t feel like home, and so they really turned the library into their home,” Gainer said. “We want to make sure that it remains that familiar anchor within the community, so things will change but things will also stay the same.”
The project is still in its design phase which is expected to wrap up this year. The plan is to begin renovations in 2027 with a 2029 completion. During that time the building will be closed but a separate, temporary location will be leased nearby so the public can continue to have library access.
A community engagement session will be held at the library on Saturday, Feb. 28 from noon to 4 p.m. to discuss the project and receive feedback from the community. There is also a survey available on the project's website.
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