Few community institutions are so revered and romanticized as a library. But the role of a library has evolved over the years, and, perhaps in reaction, the buildings that house them have evolved as well.
From the modern, natural-light-loving façade of Hespeler’s library to Edmonton’s wonky Jasper Place branch, libraries’ architecture and purpose are being re-imagined. Granted, not all libraries are undergoing such novel renovations. Indeed some of our favourites, like the Morrin Centre library, remain the cozy bookish enclaves they were in mid-19th century. Either way, these bibliophilic havens call to mind Walter Savage Landor’s quote: “Nothing is pleasanter than exploring a library.”