Dozens gathered at the Nellie McClung library branch to mark the closing of the building which has served as a community hub for 48 years. 

B次元官网网址淭he ... branch has been a cornerstone of connection, learning and inspiration, welcoming generations through its doors and providing access to knowledge, resources and a place to belong,B次元官网网址� said Maureen Sawa, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL), on Dec. 6. B次元官网网址淭oday, we close this chapter in the branch's history, but we also begin an exciting new one.B次元官网网址� 

The next chapter will start on Dec. 14 when the library on McKenzie Avenue closes its doors for the next three years. Next summer, work begins to replace the two-storey building with an 18-storey tower, which will house a new library and over 200 rent-geared-to-income and below-market apartments. The multi-year project is slated for completion in 2028. 

In the meantime, the libraryB次元官网网址檚 thousands of books will be transferred to an B次元官网网址渆xpress locationB次元官网网址� at 3561 Shelbourne St., which is set to open in mid-February. The temporary facility will offer browsing collections for adults and children, holds, pick-ups, returns and express computer access.   

Saanich councillors unanimously approved rezoning for the Nellie McClung library site at a June 10 council meeting.

B次元官网网址淭he library was in need of ... significant refurbishment, but probably a good candidate for replacement,B次元官网网址� Saanich Mayor Dean Murdock explained. B次元官网网址淎nd so the opportunity was there to get a new space built for the library so that it will be at twice its current size, and then to be able to use this space to put affordable housing on top.B次元官网网址� 

In part, a need for more housing in the district spurred this development, added Murdock.

B次元官网网址淲hat we hear probably most often from residents is a concern about affordability in our community,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚t's so important that we prioritize affordability, and this was a great opportunity for us to be able to increase the supply of truly affordable homes so that everybody can afford to put down roots in Saanich.B次元官网网址�

This wonB次元官网网址檛 be the first time the library has been rebuilt. In 1989, a fire destroyed the facility, incinerating some 45,000 books. It reopened two years later. 

B次元官网网址淭he community rallied around this branch, and the resilience and determination to rebuild showed how much this space was important to the community, how much it was cherished,B次元官网网址� said Andrew Appleton, the chair of the GVPL board. 

At the event on Friday, which boasted treats, coffee and Greater Victoria Public Library swag, attendees of all ages expressed their love for the library. 

B次元官网网址淚t has always been a busy, busy, busy library,B次元官网网址� said Anne Parker, who worked as a childrenB次元官网网址檚 librarian at the branch for over a decade. B次元官网网址淲hen we opened the new library, it was a year later that I came to work here. We were just run off our feet. So busy B次元官网网址� lineups for checkout and phones ringing and ringing and ringing and ringing and people asking questions.B次元官网网址� 

Parker hugely enjoyed the hustle and bustle.  

B次元官网网址淚t was full of kids and it was just noisy. I always called it happy noise,B次元官网网址� she added. B次元官网网址淚t was absolutely wonderful. It felt like family.B次元官网网址� 

Another attendee, Phyllis Dalton, who has worked at all of the GVPL branches, was bitter-sweet about the libraryB次元官网网址檚 closing. 

B次元官网网址淓verybody in this community is going miss it,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚t's good that it's going to be bigger because this community is going to grow so, so much with all these apartment buildings that are going up.B次元官网网址� 

Others expressed the importance of the library as an institution. 

B次元官网网址淚t's public, it's free, it's accessible,B次元官网网址� said Sher Morgan, who has been coming to the Nellie McClung branch for 25 years. B次元官网网址淧ublic education and public libraries are the things that are egalitarian about learning and loving to read, and the library is a welcoming place. It's magic.B次元官网网址� 

Murdock expressed a similar sentiment. 

B次元官网网址淭his is a place where my children came to spend time, that they gravitate to and where we had puppet shows and picked out picture books and then later graphic novels,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hat established strong roots for them in reading, learning and curiosity.B次元官网网址�   

Like everyone at the event, Murdock voiced sadness about the library's closing.

B次元官网网址淚t's hard to say goodbye to an old friend,B次元官网网址� he said.

But that old friend will be back soon B次元官网网址� bigger, more modern and better than ever.