Director of Anoka County Library, Maggie Snow, gave some history about the space. “[It] opened for business in late 1985 to rave reviews, it had a new listening station for your phonographs, it had cassette tapes and video cassette tapes, it had a coin operating typewriter,” she said.
Anoka County Commissioner, Rhonda Sivarajah gave remarks as well.
“At 6,300 square feet, the library had adequate space when it opened, but as you know this area has grown significantly and we have certainly outgrown our space,” she said.
The new, larger library will reopen sometime in the spring or summer of 2019, with more spaces and more opportunities.
“When we were reopen next spring, we will not have coin operated typewriters,” said Snow, “But, we will have new computers. We will have gathering spaces for the community. We’ll have three or four different small meeting rooms. We’ll have a hands-on IQ kitchen for learning and tinkering and experimenting.”
“The new library will be a learning space, a key feature of the library will be the IQ kitchen, a place where people of all ages can come together and learn about tools and materials to develop creative do-it-yourself of all kinds: cooking, crafting, robotics, 3-D printing and much much more can be taught within that IQ kitchen,” Sivarajah said.
Until the reopening, library visitors will have to find a new branch library to visit. The next closest branch is Northtown Library, but all remaining branches will be open for patrons to use.
“The visitors who frequent the Centennial Library, I know it’s going to be very difficult for you and a disappointment to have it closed during the time that we are constructing the new library, but I assure you, it will be well worth that pain, because it is going to be a new enhanced library that when finished, will be about 13,000 square feet, more than double its current size,” Sivarajah said.
Centennial Library Branch Manager, Mary Healy said they will still be doing programming in the community.
“We’re going to be doing programming at Circle Pines City Hall, at Lino Lakes City Hall, We’re utilizing our schools, so check our brochure, we’re still going to be in the community,” she said.
Instead of a groundbreaking with a golden shovel, before they closed the doors, they had a ceremonial golden cart begin to load up the books to roll away.
“Next spring, we are so excited because we know that when people walk through those new doors, that I really believe that this enhanced library, that they will just be filled with awe and amazement at the many new opportunities that this library has to offer,” Sivarajah said.
The library plans on keeping patrons up to date with schedules on its website, and will also be using social media to keep everyone up to date on community programming.
