Sunday Afternoon At The Library With My Mom
One of the things my Mom loves to do is go to the library, often several times a week. She has been an avid reader all her life. These days she reads 3 or 4 books a week, as she’s 91, and can’t walk as much she used to so she has lots of time to read. However, she still walks the four blocks from her house to her local library in London, Ontario whenever she is feeling up to it - often hauling back several books in her backpack.
So, when she came to Calgary to visit one of the first places she wanted to go was to Calgary’s fancy almost new Central Library (four years old) she had read so much about. After some discussion we decided a Sunday afternoon would work best as I could drop her off easily and then go park the car.
Browsing the shelves.
Report Card
Her first impression wasn’t great as we had to enter via the back door so she could access the elevator to the second-floor entrance to the building. There was no way she could manage the steep stairs at the front.
FYI: The library is built over Light Rail Transit railway tracks that emerge from an underground tunnel to street level, so the building had to be elevated above the street so LRT cars could enter and exit under the north side of the building. Perhaps a poor site for a public building, but since it couldn’t have any underground parking, residential, retail or office developers would not have been interested in building on the site. City building is always about compromises.
Welcome to Calgary’s Central Library for those wanting to use the elevator.
LRT train exiting the tunnel under Calgary’s Central Library.
The second impression was better as she loved the fact that once you walked into the lobby you immediately found lots of books and not a bunch of desks with computers like so many libraries these days.
She also loved that the bookshelves were low so you don’t feel lost in a maze of shelves. She liked the lighting of the shelves that makes it easier to read the titles.
She was surprised to find several books she hadn’t read and asked me to take photos of the covers and send them to her so she could see if the London library has them when she gets back home. FYI: This is something I often do if I see a book at a thrift store I think she might like.
Best place to literally curl up with a book.
As we wandered, she was impressed by the Children’s Library with its various activities and the separate areas for young children and older ones and the inviting seating areas.
However, she wasn’t as impressed by the Great Reading Room as I am. Perhaps it was the loud Jazz Band playing in the lobby that made it difficult to read.
I must agree the Reading Room should be a quiet place to read and work and not be distracted by other activities – a sacred space, a tribute to libraries of the past.
While we were exploring she said it reminded her of the Great Library of Alexandria which she saw when in Egypt. I smiled and told her it was designed by the same architectural firm - Snohetta in collaboration with DIALOG a local architectural firm.
I was surprised she wasn’t in awe of the grand entrance, with its dramatic staircase and glass roof. She did say she liked the stairs as they weren’t too high.
When we exited and she wanted to try the ramp so she could see the front of the building from the sidewalk, but found it very steep and ended up only going halfway down and then took some stairs to the street but said she wouldn’t do that again.
The grand lobby.
After posting this blog, a regular Everyday Tourist blog reader shared with me that Calgary’s Central Library lobby reminded her of the Law Library in Zurich designed by famous architect Santiago Calatrava.
The Morning After
The next morning the first thing she said was “I like the library but it really isn’t accessible for many seniors and others with physical challenges as well as families with young children. Surely, they could have had an elevator at the main entrance. It is almost as if an elevator was an afterthought.” She also noted the ramp at the front was too long and steep at the front and should have a handrail and then said, “we never did find the computers.”
After reading a draft of this blog, she wanted me to add that there also needs to be better signage of where the stairs are if you wanted to walk from floor to floor or in the case of an emergency.
More than just a library…
The Reading Room.
Last Word
The library is my Mom’s happy place. Ironically, she has never had a library in her home and I don’t even recall her have a shelf full of books, she has used the library as her source of reading material.
She told me later that as child growing up she always wanted to have a library in her home, but there was never enough space with four kids.
I too love exploring libraries when I visit a new city. In many cities they have become community activity hubs with lots of different activities and programs.
I was pleased to see Calgary’s new Central Library, now almost 4 years old, was busy with hundreds of people of all ages and backgrounds visiting on a sunny Sunday afternoon in November.
More travel blogs from my Mom:
San Miguel: A Religious Experience Of A Lifetime