Library users in Liverpool are being encouraged to check out as many books and movies as they can carry before the Thomas H. Raddall location closes Dec. 15 to prepare for a move to its new location. (Rick Conrad)

Staff at the Thomas H. Raddall Library in downtown Liverpool are getting ready to move to their new location and they’re asking users to help lighten their load.

The library is encouraging people to take out as many books and movies as they like until the branch closes on Dec. 15.

Ashley Nunn-Smith, CEO and chief librarian of South Shore Public Libraries, says patrons also have an extra-long loan period to enjoy the extra books.

“All items that have been checked out this week until we close won’t be due back until Feb. 1, so folks are encouraged just to hold on to those,” Nunn-Smith says.

“We have canvas bags to hand out. And we’re encouraging people to check out as many books and movies as they can carry to their vehicle to help us lighten the load so that there are less items on the shelves to pack into boxes.”

The library’s lease at its current location at the Rossignol Cultural Centre in Liverpool expires at the end of December.

In Nova Scotia, municipalities look after buildings and furniture for libraries, while the provincial government provides about 70 per cent of overall funding for staffing and other expenses.

Region of Queens councillors voted in February to move the library to the municipally owned Liverpool Business Development Centre off the White Point Road, two kilometres outside the downtown.

It’s supposed to be a temporary location, but users fear the library will stay there. The region is spending between $1.1 and $1.26 million on renovations to the 6,500-square-foot space.

Nunn-Smith says she’s looking forward to the library’s newer, bigger home and the opportunities it will create for programs and the community.

“Our current space in Liverpool has two program rooms and they’re often both in use. And this space will have two program rooms with a wall that can be removed between the two for those larger programs that get big attendance, as well as a kitchen and a teen space and a soundproof meeting pod. So we’ll be able to offer more spaces, a mix of quiet spaces, and fun kid-friendly spaces, (where) the current location is limited.”

She said it will be the first library branch on the South Shore with a dedicated space for teens. 

Nunn-Smith said it was important for the library to involve the community as much as possible in the move.

That’s why they asked the public for input on a new name, if they decide to change it from the Thomas H. Raddall Library.

They got about 200 responses. People could choose from a suggested list or write in their own choice.

Nunn-Smith said they got a lot of good suggestions – and only one Booky McBookface. 

“I had warned the board when you let the internet name something, you might end up with a Boaty McBoatface. With that caveat, we did want to get that feedback from the public.”

The naming decision ultimately rests with the library board. So, no Booky McBookface branch in Liverpool.

“I can’t see that one moving forward,” Nunn-Smith says, laughing.

Nunn-Smith says that after the Liverpool branch closes on Dec. 15, staff will begin boxing up the remaining collections for transport to the new location. 

“We have a lot of staff coming in that first week after we close. I’m confident we’ll be able to get that (packing) done, and hopefully said and done before the holidays so the staff can relax and not have that worry hanging over them.”

An opening date hasn’t been set yet, but Nunn-Smith said the library will let people know as soon as they are ready to reopen.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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David Trueman, branch supervisor of Thomas H. Raddall Library in Liverpool, speaks to a group this week at a public consultation session on the design of the temporary location of the library. Elise Johnston, accessibility and inclusion co-ordinator with the Region of Queens, is leading the sessions. (Rick Conrad)

It may not be the location that many Liverpool library users want, but they say they’re going to make the best of it.

The Region of Queens has been holding public consultations this week on the design of the temporary location for the Thomas H. Raddall Library.

Region of Queens councillors voted in February to move the library to the Liverpool Business Development Centre on White Point Road by the end of the year. 

The current lease at the Rossignol Centre in downtown Liverpool expires Dec. 31. Sherman Hines, who owns the building, also has it up for sale.

The municipality owns the business development centre. It currently houses the Global Empire call centre and Belliveau Veinotte accountants.

It’s supposed to be a temporary location, while the municipality works on a long-term plan. 

Councillors set aside $1,050,000 for renovations to the 6,500 square-foot space, though staff said it could cost as much as $1.26 million.

Municipalities look after buildings and furniture for libraries, while the provincial government provides about 70 per cent of overall funding.

Finding a new home for the library has been fraught with delays and controversy since 2022, when the region allocated $3 million from an unexpected budget surplus to its construction. 

The library steering committee twice recommended a site near Queens Place Emera Centre, with councillors ultimately nixing that plan both times.

Many residents at a December meeting told councillors they did not want the library at the call centre site, which is outside of town in an area with no sidewalks and very little lighting.

But with a deadline to vacate the current space looming, the region decided the call centre was the best option for now.

This week, about 40 people have attended public consultations so far. The last one is on Saturday at the library at 12:30.

The proposed design includes two large program rooms that can be combined into one, a teen room with soundproofing for a miniature recording studio. That room could also be used as a smaller meeting area. The new space also features an open area for kids, as well as a large kitchen and expanded washroom facilities.

That’s in addition to the large area set aside for the library’s current collection of books and other materials.

Elise Johnston, the region’s accessibility and inclusion co-ordinator, is leading the consultations with David Trueman, the library’s branch supervisor.

Cathie Pearl-Wentzell was at one of the sessions on Thursday. The Brooklyn resident says her family have been library users since she moved to the area in 1977.

“I think it was very informative, I learned a lot, it’s good to have the opportunity to have input,” she said. 

She said she’s disappointed in the location, but there are benefits to the new space.

“I’ve come to accept that, vehemently opposed (to the location), let my councillor know, let the mayor know. My question is can they tear this building down and build the library on this site? I don’t know.

“I think it’s going to have a lot of opportunities. Parking being one, it’s going to be much more accessible, much more comfortable climate-control-wise. And everybody has the best interest at heart, so you can’t go wrong with somebody with their hearts in the right places.”

Melissa Swatsenbarg of Liverpool uses the library at least once a twice a week. She said she likes being able to give her input on the design.

“It kind of culminates all the things I’ve been listening to over the past year and a half because I’ve been talking to a lot of people over the past year and a half about it.

“I like the final idea of having a fairly large kitchen and a designated teen space. I like the plans to have a more open children’s section.”

She said she likes the more modern amenities of the new space, even though the location isn’t ideal.

“None of us are really thrilled we have to go all the way through town to get back out of town to go to it,” Swatsenbarg said.

“It’s kind of out of the way. And there are no sidewalks. My kids will bike into the library here. (Out there), it’s a very busy road and it’s not a very safe road trying to get up and around there. So in that aspect, it’s going to change how many kids I allow to take themselves to the library.”

Even though councillors decided to move the library to the call centre space, they also acknowledged that a newly elected council in October could tackle the issue of a new library. But that could still take at least three to five years to happen.

In the meantime, some at the consultations suggested keeping up the pressure on council candidates for a new library in a more central location.

The last public consultation session is at the library on Old Bridge Street on Saturday from 12:30 to 1:30. People can also email accessibility@regionofqueens.com with their suggestions.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

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