L'Octogone Library in LaSalle – Renovation and Expansion Work Gets Under Way
3 mai 2021
Montréal, le 3 mai 2021 - Magda Popeanu, Vice-Chair of the City's Executive Committee and responsible for culture, and Manon Barbe, Mayor of the Borough of LaSalle, attended today's ground-breaking ceremony for the renovation and expansion of the L'Octogone library.
Ville de Montreal, the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications and the Borough of LaSalle are investing more than $44.9 million in this project through the library renovation, expansion and construction program. This program aims to increase and improve the services offered by the Bibliothèques de Montréal network, by providing residents with warm, connected, inclusive and lively places to socialize as well as a quality technological environment and services adapted to their needs.
The renovation and expansion of the L'Octogone library is being carried out according to the best practices of today's libraries and trends in innovation, architecture and design. Once the work is completed, this library—whose bold style stems from a multidisciplinary architectural competition won by the Anne Carrier architecture/Labonté Marcil consortium—will provide its visitors with bright and attractive new spaces.
In addition to 180,000 documents, including the largest collection of comic books of all of Montréal's libraries, new resources will be added, such as the comic book artist's workshop, the science and cooking lab, the computer lab, the learning centre, self-serve video game terminals, and the loan of laptops and iPads on site.
"Our government is very pleased to participate in the modernization and expansion of the L'Octogone library. For LaSalle, this means that—in a few months' time—up-to-date, user-friendly facilities with state-of-the-art equipment will open their doors wide to all those who wish to enrich their culture, increase their knowledge and enjoy themselves in a constructive and creative way. Much more than a library, L'Octogone will be the vibrant heart of the Borough, a welcoming and democratic gathering place. I am very pleased that the Québec government has contributed to this project, which responds to LaSalle residents' aspirations and improves their quality of life," stated Nathalie Roy, Minister of Culture and Communications.
"With the pandemic, more than ever, we have seen the importance of being able to offer Montréal residents a library network that is conducive to reading, information, knowledge, culture and recreational activities. With its new resources, L'Octogone library will become a true anchor for the community, where it will be possible to experience knowledge in all its forms," said Magda Popeanu, Vice-Chair of the City's Executive Committee and responsible for culture.
"A new decisive step has just been taken in the process of renovating and expanding the L'Octogone library. More and more, the dream of a reinvented neighbourhood library is becoming a reality. For the past 12 years, we have been imagining it and planning for it. The future L'Octogone library will be a destination, a living environment and a cultural and community hub, all for the greater enjoyment of LaSalle residents," stated Manon Barbe, Mayor of the borough of LaSalle.
Established in partnership with the Government of Québec as part of Montréal's cultural development agreement, the library renovation, expansion and construction program has made it possible to build and modernize five libraries: Le Boisé, Marc-Favreau, Saul-Bellow, Benny and Pierrefonds. Other projects are under development, such as the Maisonneuve library, currently under construction.
