The Edmonton Public Library is rooted into the city's communities. Twenty branches are scattered across Edmonton, and plans for further expansion are always underway. According to their annual report, EPL saw more than 5.7 million in-person visits 2015. What’s so special about the library? Does it really matter where people read? Do the aesthetics of a library matter?
Report
EPL Places and Spaces
Each EPL branch is both unique and familiar, customized but standardized. This report, featuring an interview with EPL's Linda Garvin, zooms in on library design. By Janice Vis
Library as Icon?
Gorgeous architecture marks of many of the EPL branches, especially the newer locations. In 2016, the Jasper Place Branch won the Sustainable Architecture & Building Canada Award and Canada Green Building Council Green Building Award. In 2013, the same branch won an Award of Merit at the Prairie Design Awards.
I interviewed Linda Garvin, EPL’s Executive Director (Customer Experience), to learn more about library design, and she used the word “iconic.” She explained that EPL works to create “buildings that are visible, that contribute to a sense of community through their architectural design as well as the service they provide.” The library is built to be a landmark of the community, a space residents feel welcomed. If nothing else, these buildings foster curiosity among locals—it's difficult to not want to investigate the sharp angles of the Highlands Location or the rolling waves of the Jasper Place Branch.
Furthermore, EPL’s “iconic” buildings are a kind of community service--Garvin asserted that EPL feels “a responsibility to contribute to the infrastructure and the beauty of a community… That’s been the vision for the city architect, Carol Belanger, as well, that he’s wanted to up the game a little bit in Edmonton with our architecture, and we’ve been able to do that through our libraries.”
Belanger, according to Avenue Edmonton, “wants to get citizens re-energized and re-engaged with urban design. He wants them to be proud of our aesthetic maturation and excited about where it could lead.” Similarly, EPL wants Edmontonians to be proud of their libraries, to want to visit the branches. This enthusiasm spills out into EPL’s vision and services, and encourages Edmontonians to be excited about reading as well. .
Library as Unique!
Iconic doesn’t mean uniform--each branch is specialized to fit its location. Both the demographics and the landscape of the surrounding community play a key role in designing the library.
For example, EPL’s report on the upcoming Capilano branch highlights plans to take advantage of nearby nature, allowing residents to “reconnect the ravine.” The plans also include large glass windows, long benches along the ravine, and a terrace to take capitalize on the green space.
EPL also pays close attention to the makeup of the surrounding community when setting up the branches. Plans for the Stanley Miller rebuild include tripling the size of their children’s library due to changing demographics downtown. With more children moving into the area, EPL adapts its space to better serve the neighbourhood. The layout of materials also changes with the community: as the Meadows branch shares its building with a seniors’ home and multicultural centre, large-print and world languages texts are near the front door.
Many branches include unique artwork. For example, the Clareview Branch has an installation called “Letter Cloud”--suspended aluminium letters which, according to manager Jody Crilly, “represent different letters from different alphabets from the languages that are spoken in the Clareview area.” The Millwoods branch boasts a 10 feet by 20 feet commission originally displayed in the downtown location (shown above). Simply titled "Cast Iron Mural,” the impressive artwork was created by Montreal’s Jordi Bonet and weighs about 1,100 pounds. Aside from providing aesthetic value, these works help personalize each branch to its community, and allow community members to see themselves in the library.
Library as Familiar
Yet, even though EPL branches are customized to their location, each branch still feels familiar. Walk into any EPL and you’ll see more similarities than differences. Staff picks and Hits-To-Go (new releases available for one week loans) are readily visible. You’ll also see the “holds” shelves, which are normally stocked full of books awaiting pick-up. Library customer service is never too far away, and always within the line of sight from the entrance. Non-traditional library materials--such as video games or comic books--are often on display.
There’s generally an announcement board near the entrance, neatly arranged with posters and leaflets from the library, advertising upcoming events or popular programs. The electronic check-out stations servicing those leaving the library are immediately visible, and are stocked with EPL bookmarks and other library announcements, such as cards for the next Books2Buy sale or seasonal events.
Past the holds and hits-to-go shelves, you’ll first find adult genre fiction. After that, you’ll encounter non-fiction, magazines, children’s material, reference books, and so forth, although the exact layout varies by location. Unsurprisingly, the less accessible areas of the library are stocked with materials less appealing to most library goers, such as academic texts or reference books.
Computers, seating areas, and work tables are scattered throughout the space. Computer stations are extremely popular, and library users often book a computer ahead of time in order to ensure they’ll be able to access one. Of course, this too varies by location. During my many visit to the downtown branch, I rarely saw a computer open. However, at the Woodcraft branch nearer to my home, it is easier to find a station on weekdays. I’ve learned to avoid Saturday mornings, when a crowd of children claim dominance over the technology.
Library Co-Locations
The Meadows location is not the only branch sharing its building with other amenities. EPL partnered with the surrounding community and placed the Millwoods branch in the Town Centre Mall, which also contains a seniors’ home and multicultural centre. Similarly, the branch planned for the Lewis Estates community will also be part of a larger facility. “The city is moving in the direction of co-located centers… there’s a number of things under one roof; there’s arenas; there’s a running track; there’s places to work out; there’s a community centre; there’s a school; there’s a library,” Garvin explained.
These centres situate the library as part of everyday life, and remove the act of reading from scholarship. Instead of associating libraries with schools, EPL is next to the gym or community centre—locals can grab lunch, workout, and check out the latest bestseller in the same trip. These locations also increase the accessibility and visibility of the library, as people are more likely to encounter and explore its resources while in the building for another amenity.
Working with the city, however, means EPL occasionally needs to re-arrange its building schedule. “The board has our priorities. Sometimes they’re, I won’t say interrupted, but they may be influenced by the city putting forth their interest in having a community center,” Garvin told me, citing that “Just recently Pilot Sound is one that has received funding, and that was on our list of priorities, but that position in our list might get changed because there’s great interest from the city in developing that sooner than what we had anticipated.” Aside from negotiating which branches to pursue first, EPL also needs to ensure they maintain open lines of communication with other organizations when collaborating on branches. Still, any inconveniences are relatively minor; the arrangement is favourable for both EPL and the city. According to Garvin, “it’s hard to think of negatives.”
Last Updated: July 6, 2017
