Library expanding mall presence

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This article was published 23/02/2022 (1487 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After almost two years serving patrons at Shoppers Mall, the Western Manitoba Regional Library is getting ready to unveil a larger presence at its secondary location.

In early March 2020, the library opened a second spot at the mall, between Rogers Wireless and Davids Tea to try to expand its reach to more residents of Brandon.

Two successful years later, the location of the former Payless Shoe Source store, within sight of the original library site, is currently being renovated to accommodate its new tenant.

According to Aly Wowchuk, the library’s new director of library services, the fresh space will be double the size of the original and will be able to accommodate programming and events.

“It’s quite a significant difference,” said Paige Bender, a library clerk who spends most of her workdays at the mall.

She said the biggest improvement for her at the new location will be the ability to house more books.

The library found out it would be able to move a couple of weeks ago, and staff have been hard at work selecting books to bring over to the expanded shelf space the new location will have.

Next week, the old library location will close so that items can be moved over and final preparations will be made in time for the March 7 grand opening.

During her time working at the mall branch, Bender said she has noticed that the second location has improved the library’s visibility in the community. Some of the most frequent types of patrons she has seen using the services are young families and older people.

“There are so many apartments in the area, so it’s easy to walk over,” she said. “If they have other stuff to do at the mall, they can do that and then stop in, grab some books and go.”

What has been more popular in general since the pandemic started, Wowchuk said, are the library’s online resources like audiobooks, e-books and film and television streaming service access.

The staff are also hoping people will realize just how important their local library is, especially since the local library carries far more than just books.

“People can only watch so much Netflix,” programming librarian Alex Rogowsky said.

“Libraries aren’t that old-school stereotypical dusty, book-filled place,” Wowchuk said. “We have programming, workshops, Paige has storytime virtually every Wednesday.”

With misleading information so prevalent, the library can serve as a place where people can do research through trusted, reliable sources of information, Rogowsky added.

While the library is still working out how the transition to life without COVID restrictions will affect its operations, Rogowsky said in-person programming will return to the library’s downtown branch sometime this spring and will likely start at the mall branch this summer.

As for the planned renovations to the building that houses both the library and the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba, Wowchuk said she didn’t currently have any new information to announce on that subject.

However, it’ll be handy to have an expanded secondary location when operations are disrupted at the main branch.

“We’re really happy that Shoppers Mall has been so kind and generous to us and offered us this space,” Wowchuk said.

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