Medicine Hat Public Library To Set Up Satellite Location At Big Marble Go Centre

Written by Chris Brown, Head of Marketing & Community Engagement

A combination of Read at Home & Read it Here items to start with in September

Medicine Hat Public Library is embarking on a new project that will bring more library services out into the community. 

Continuing our efforts to meet Medicine Hat residents and visitors where they’re at and expand our services, the library will establish a small, permanent presence at Big Marble Go Centre (BMGC).

"The library is very excited about this partnership with the Big Marble Go Centre and the City of Medicine Hat,” says Ken Feser, chief librarian. 

“We know that our downtown location doesn't work for everyone and we want to offer more convenient ways to access our collections and services. This is a great opportunity for us to experiment and find ways to deliver library services in ways that fit community needs and that are sustainable within our existing budget. We are starting small and we will adjust the service over time as we learn what people want."

To be located in the lobby of BMGC, the library will primarily be a Read at Home collection to start with. It will feature fiction and non-fiction books from our adult, young adult and children’s collections for patrons to “borrow” on an honour-system, grab-and-go basis. There will be no checkouts, so users don’t need to have a library card, and there will be no due dates or overdue fines to worry about. All we ask is that you bring the books you’ve “borrowed” back when you’re done. 

The library at BMGC will also have a selection of Read it Here items like children’s picture books, newspapers and magazines. There will also be activities for children available to take home or help them and their parents pass the time while their siblings are in the pool or on the ice. 

Staff will begin placing shelving and stock the collections at BMGC in late September. A grand opening celebration will take place in October, which is Canadian Library Month. A date for the celebration will be announced in the coming weeks.

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