The new Parkland Regional Library building in Lacombe. (Supplied)

By Dwayne McLaughlin

New Digs

Parkland Regional Library settled into new home in Lacombe

Jan 21, 2021 | 2:15 PM

After 61 years, Parkland Regional Library System has a new home in Lacombe.

According to officials, it’s the culmination of a project spanning roughly three years.

The new headquarters was built to replace the previous building, which was built in 1960 and later renovated in 1989. The library’s former home, however, was still in need of significant work, resulting in construction of the new facility.

The new building is said to incorporate many new features to enable Parkland Regional Library System (PRLS) to offer state of the art service in support of public libraries in the modern day and beyond.

According to officials with the organization, PRLS plans to grow and adapt to the needs of the communities they serve, both now and long into the future.

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“Careful planning and consideration for the present needs and potential growth of the region were implemented in the design and function of our new head office, with flexibility to adapt to new technologies and service demands well into the future,” says Parkland Regional Library Director Ron Sheppard.

Sheppard says the decision to build new was carefully evaluated over renovation and was deemed to be more cost effective.

“Due to our current operating requirements, it is not feasible to renovate the existing facility to meet our present and future needs,” explains Sheppard.

Member libraries of the Parkland Regional Library System are described as providing world class service from right here in Central Alberta.

Sheppard says PRLS sold its old building to the Tricon Group.

“The revenue from the sale of the old building combined with a provincial grant, made the construction of a new building possible,” remarks Sheppard.

After a year of design planning, Sheppard says ground was broken for the new building in late 2019, with construction continuing through 2020 until their move-in date last October.

He adds he’s quite happy with the look of the new building, noting PRLS plans to launch a virtual tour of the new facility on its website eventually.

“It is clean, fresh, quieter, has better ventilation, lighting, and is so much better laid out, that our operations and workflows are all much smoother.”

In the meantime, Sheppard says PRLS is proud to continue providing top-notch service and support to libraries throughout the central Alberta region.