Help Us Design Surrey’s Newest Library

Share your images, photos, ideas and words with us about your suggestions  for a new Library in City Centre.

click here for details on the Ideas Book

User Survey – We Want to Hear from You!

Click here to fill out the survey for the City Centre Library.

Great Turn Out at the Open House

Thanks to everyone who came out on Thursday Dec. 10th to share their views and to learn more. There is definitely a lot of excitement about the new library!

Economic Value of Public Libraries

Did you know that public libraries play a key role in the economic development of a community?

 A recent study titled “Making Cities Stronger” highlights ways in which library programming in the areas of early literacy, employment services, and small business development contribute to the local economy. The  study focused on 9 American Cities and reports that:

•  Early literacy services offered at the library contribute to long term economic success. The relationship between investments in early literacy and long term economic success is well documented
•  Employment and career resources are preparing workers for new technologies. Access to technology in libraries is often the first point of entry for new users.
• Public library building are a catalyst for development. Libraries attract tremendous foot traffic (over 2.6 Million people visited our nine Surrey Public Libraries in 2008) . They are open evenings and weekends, attracting people to the neighbourhood after shops and offices have closed for the day.

 The new City Centre Library in Surrey will make a similar contribution to the local economy and help to create a vibrant, liveable neighbourhood.  The new library will feature a large Children’s Library; community meeting spaces; employment, career and business resources; wireless access and computer training facilities and much more. The expanded resources and much larger building (City Centre will replace the Whalley Library) will allow the library to offer more school readiness programs, improved technology training opportunities, spaces for community groups and businesses to meet and exchange ideas and quiet study and reflection spaces for individuals.

 To read the entire Making Cities Stronger report, visit  http://www.urban.org/publications/1001075.html

 For information on the importance of early learning program for kids, view the UBC report: http://www.earlylearning.ubc.ca/

 To find about the City of Surrey’s plan for City Centre: http://www.surrey.ca/Doing+Business/Land+Development+and+Building/Current+Initiatives/Secondary+Plans+in+Progress/Surrey+City+Centre/default.htm

New Library for Downtown

Article from the Downtown Surrey Business Improvement Assn.

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog for the new City Centre Library. We are in the early planning stages of developing a concept for the new Library. We will be planning in early 2010 and looking to start construction in spring of 2010. The new Library will be open for business in summer of 2011.

Watch this page for updates as to our progress!

The Architects for this project will be Bing Thom Architects, a local firm that designed the tower at the Central City Shopping mall, which currently houses SFU and other agencies. For more information, view their website at  http://www.bingthomarchitects.com/