For immediate release:
EDMONTON, AB, December 17, 2016 – Edmontonians left their mark on the Stanley A. Milner Library during a public celebration Saturday, ranging from memories scrawled on the walls of the 50-year-old building to a $1 million gift for the upcoming revitalization.
As Edmontonians flocked to the downtown branch ahead of its closure to make way for the amazing transformation, the Edmonton Public Library announced a major fundraising gift towards the $69 million renewal project, $10 million of which the library has committed to raise. The $1 million gift, from The Muttart Foundation, is one of EPL’s largest to date.
“This donation will have an immense impact on the future Stanley A. Miler Library,” said Pilar Martinez, Chief Executive Officer of the Edmonton Public Library. “We are extremely grateful for the generosity of The Muttart Foundation, and are thankful for their commitment to help us make it possible to build a community-centred public space better suited to meet the growing and changing needs of our customers.”
After 50 years, the Stanley A. Milner Library will close at the end of the day on December 31, 2016 to undergo a total transformation. Originally the Centennial Library until it was renamed in 1996, the downtown branch first opened in 1967 to replace the original library one block south. Today, EPL’s Stanley A. Milner Library is the heart of the library system as well as downtown, and receives over 1.2 million visits annually from citizens of all backgrounds with a variety of interests.
A revitalized Milner Library will not only better serve customers, but will help build a more thriving, vibrant city centre. When the new downtown branch opens in 2020, it will have a children’s library more than three times the previous space, a much larger Makerspace, an additional 4,000 square feet of study and reading areas, over 2,500 square feet of added community meeting space, space for Indigenous ceremonies, a multi-story interactive digital simulation wall and more.
“The Muttart Foundation has been a part of this community for almost 65 years now. Although our work has touched people around the world, our home has always been here,” said Bob Wyatt, Executive Director of The Muttart Foundation. “And we want to celebrate with all Edmontonians as we prepare for the new home for the downtown library.
“We are proud to be associated with all of those who have made this building all that is has become, and those who will blow our minds with everything they will do with the new and improved main branch of EPL.”
The revitalization means the Stanley A. Milner Library will be closed for three years. During construction, library services will operate out of Enterprise Square at 10230 Jasper Avenue. The temporary location opens at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, January 3, 2017.
For more information, including up-to-date renderings and floor plans, visit epl.ca/imaginemilner.
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About the Edmonton Public Library
The Edmonton Public Library (EPL) is proud to be 2014 Library of the Year! We’ve come a long way since 1913 when books were all you could find on our shelves… and we’re just getting started! Today, EPL carries everything you care about. We are Edmonton’s largest lender of all manner of information and entertainment. Our professionally trained staff take you beyond Google with the knowledge, discernment and desire to help you navigate a universe of information. The second most visited place in Edmonton, every year EPL hosts over 14 million in-branch and online visits across our 20 branches and website. We deliver our incredible content to you everywhere – in the library, at home or on your handheld device. Unmatched access and unrivalled value – that is today’s EPL. EPL is a registered charity and relies on donations to enhance services. Spread the words. www.epl.ca/give
For more information, contact
Heather McIntyre
Marketing Communications Specialist
Edmonton Public Library
780-496-7055
hmcintyre@epl.ca
