Article content

A new mini-library scheduled to open in 2018 will serve residents in southwest Edmonton.

The “small-footprint” eplGO branch will inhabit a 3,000-square-foot space inside the Heritage Valley Town Centre, near 119 Street and 26 Avenue SW. Construction is scheduled to start in September and the library should open in the first or second quarter of next year, said Edmonton Public Library CEO Pilar Martinez.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Edmonton Public Library to open new branch in Heritage Valley Back to video

The storefront library is a temporary solution until a larger branch can be built in the area.

Martinez said the Heritage Valley neighbourhood is a high priority for the organization. Population is booming in the city’s southwest quadrant where the nearest library branches are Riverbend and Whitemud Crossing — both about eight kilometres away.

“We realize we can’t possibly build branches at a pace that would enable us to meet community needs,” she said.

To serve people in neighbourhoods such as Rutherford, Allard, Callaghan and MacEwan, the library sends “literacy vans” to parks, community centres and retirement residences there. Community librarians have even installed pop-up libraries in show homes, which have become meeting places for residents in new neighbourhoods.