Windsor Public Library says the response to its new temporary Central Branch has been positive, despite some growing pains.
The branch opened Sept. 24 at 400 City Hall Square after relocating from the Paul Martin Building.
During the library board meeting on Tuesday afternoon, it was stated that in its first 10 days of operation, the branch recorded nearly 2,000 visits.
The branch has about 16,900 collection items on site, while another 36,000 have been moved to a storage facility. Those materials remain available for customers to request and borrow.
The move has been an adjustment for all, with some staff and customers raising concerns about the reduced browsing collection, limited table space, parking and access, as well as staff amenities.
Mark McKenzie, Windsor Public Library board chair, says things have been going well.
“Obviously there’s hiccups anytime you move into a new space. And some of those were in the report at the board meeting, talking about a water fill station and a drop off and things like that... the lights shutting off maybe earlier than they should have, or doors locking, but all those issues were resolved within the first week, week and a half.”
He says the community response has been great but there have been comments about the size of the location.
“We’ve made really use of the space and it’s funny when you walk in there, you almost look at it and say, ‘wow, it’s almost like it was designed to be a library’. And that’s why, I understand it’s small, but we really said before the board decided to, okay, let’s use this as another temporary space, we said, let’s make sure we’re utilizing that outdoor space because there’s so much outdoor space here.”
McKenzie says they want to use the new outdoor space to really draw people into the library.
“Especially in the summer with the splash pad and all the live concerts that are happening in City Hall Square and then in the winter obviously with the ice rink and again having food trucks out there and things like that. So we said, look, we understand it’s small, it’s temporary, but let’s try to utilize that outdoor space so that way you’re not just using the indoor space, you’re actually using a lot of that outdoor space as well.”
McKenzie says there is still no update on a permanent location, but they continue to push the province to be able to purchase the Ontario Tourism Building, which is right outside of City Hall.
Library management says it is working to address concerns, including ordering an exterior book return that can be used after hours and reviewing options to improve staff amenities.
The branch is located on the main floor at the northern end of 400 City Hall Square, across from Service Canada.
The library had originally expected to remain in the Paul Martin Building until early 2028, but the lease was ended early to allow redevelopment work on a boutique hotel to move ahead.