Airdrie's explosing growth means the Airdrie Public Library will receive a larger operating grant from the provincial government in 2017 according to the library's director.  

Pamela Medland explains that the operating grant that the library receives is based upon a community's population.  "Airdrie's a growing community.  We were just over 58,500 people in 2015 and in 2016 we went up to 61,842.  The provincial government funds us $5.55 per capita for each citizen in Airdrie, so as the population increases so does our operating grant from the province."

Medland says it works out to an additional $17,493 in 2017.  The library has the additional funds earmarked for two special projects.  

 "We're going to put some of it towards extra costs involved in our Smart Lockers at Genesis Place.  We circulate materials out of the Smart Lockers.  It's a very well received service.  They're about 82 per cent full at all times now.  We're adding another bank of ten lockers to help us there.  I anticipate we'll be putting some of the money towards an expansion that we're working on.  We hope to expand into an adjacent space previously occupied by the taekwondo studio.  We;re looking at opening sometime in early fall and that will give the library an additional 1,200 square feet."

While Medland says that space is less than what they'd like to have in a new facility, every little bit helps.  "We're very busy, very crowded here and that will give us the opportunity to almost double the number of pre-school library programs that we offer."

The Airdrie Public Library is a member of the Marigold Library System which is headquartered in Strathmore.  The government also gave $3 million to the Marigold System and Medland says that money will benefit Airdrie as well.

"The biggest benefit for people in Airdrie is it gives us access to a much larger number of libary items than we would otherwise be able to hold here in Airdrie.  The money for the Marigold System will be put into a pool of money they're assembling for a much needed new library headquarters.  We're probably at least five years out for that, but for sure that will beneift Airdrie, particularly in terms of their ability to purchase and move library materials that our citizens can borrow."

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