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Don’t judge a book by its cover.

That’s the message that Edmonton Public Library CEO Pilar Martinez wants to share after Edmonton social media channels blew up with chatter about the library’s under-construction Stanley A. Milner library in the city’s downtown.

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Much of the online discussion centred around the library’s tank-like zinc exterior, with less-than-favourable comparisons of the near-finished building to old renderings — criticism that Martinez says came as a shock.

“We’re surprised and of course disappointed with the outcry. I think it’s a little bit undeserved in that the photo isn’t ideal, it’s a construction site and it’s not alive at the building. We’re not open, there are no lights,” she said.

She says the rendering most frequently being shared is outdated, as the project has undergone some changes in scope since its conception.

The first rendering was focused on an exterior renovation, but that changed as the library shifted its focus to the building’s interior.