The Airdrie Public Library said it began in a windowless room in 1971. More than 50 years later, it is preparing to open its doors for the 'soft opening' to a brand-new 53,000-square-foot facility in less than a week, according to the library. Jamie Moorhouse, donor engagement champion at the library, said the new space finally matches the needs of Airdrie’s fast-growing population. “Our old library was only a quarter of the size of this new library. Airdrie should have had a library with 160,000 different resources in it. We only had 80,000 until now. Now we will have 160,000, so we are finally right-sizing for the actual resources, which are the books, the computers, the library of things,” he said in an interview. Moorhouse said the library has been designed to be much more than a place to borrow books. “Libraries today are community hubs and gathering spaces that just happen to have books in them. Books are not the main purpose of a library today … It is not your grandfather’s library,” he said. Related Stories: Inspire set to open its doors: grand opening date revealed for Airdrie’s library and multi-use facility He added that the library is also a strong economic and social investment. “Libraries are an essential part of the social infrastructure … For every dollar invested into a library, you get a $6 return on economic benefit to the city. But bigger than that is the health and well-being of the community, especially in Airdrie where we’re growing so fast.” According to the Inspire – Final Project Report to council, the Inspire building that houses the library was completed Aug. 15, 2025, and came in $4.5 million under budget. The report says the facility has been designed to meet Rick Hansen Accessibility Certification standards and includes new public art installations that are expected to become community landmarks. Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon. Send your news tips, story ideas, pictures, and videos to news@discoverairdrie.com. You can also message and follow us on Twitter: @AIR1061FM. DiscoverAirdrie encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverAirdrie app.