St. Catharines Public Library reopens at new home at Niagara Pen Centre

The St. Catharines Public Library has reopened its doors at the Niagara Pen Centre, after a spike in rent forced the facility to move from Hartzel Road after 40 years.

The reopening comes just in time for a new school year.

For 40 years, this is where people near Hartzel Road got their daily dose of books, toys or even sports equipment.

The library announced last year it had to move, and found its new location at the Pen Centre at 221 Glendale Ave.

“The old library was 2,000 to 3,000 square feet, and this is two-and-a-half times the size,” said Brian Curran, someone who loves the St. Catharines Public Library.

The library will be found at their new home for at least seven years, according to their lease, with an optional five year extension.

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Library staff say the new space will lead to new materials and upgrades.

“This is a great place, not only to find a book, but also to read the latest newspaper and magazines,” said Grace Howes, a communications specialist with the library.

That’s where we can find Marcella Haanstra, the assistant manager with the library, who is also impressed by the library’s launch-day statistics.

“The opening day stats were really impressive,” said Haanstra. “We probably had close to 400 people in through the door.”

There are also lots of literary choices for our pint-sized friends, and other ways to exercise their creativity.

Kids can play with library toys, hang out with “The Big Gorilla”, meet new friends, or drive cars on the books because they love the pictures, but can’t read just yet.

Families that spoke with CHCH News seemed to love the new space.

One parent wished there was padding on the floor in the kids area.

Management said they are working on it, and are focusing on getting new features up and running.

“I’m really excited about our study room spaces, because we’re so close to Brock [University] and I think the students are going to appeal to the space to focus on their studies,” said Howes.

The new location has been open for two days, but the official grand opening is coming Sept. 18.

Information on the library’s new hours can be found on their official website here.

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