Posted May 6, 2005.
Montreal’s Central Library Lures Thousands to Grande Opening
Called by the Québec government “the most important cultural project of the past decade,” the Grande Bibliothèque du Québec opened its doors to an estimated 20,000 visitors April 30 in Montreal’s bohemian Latin Quarter. Construction of the six-story, 355,200-square-foot building, which takes up an entire city block, began in July 2001 and has been funded by the province at a cost of $97.6 million ($78.7 million U.S.) to build and $44 million ($35.5 million U.S.) to stock and equip.
In addition to being Montreal’s central library, the facility also houses Québec’s provincial collections—everything published in the province since 1760. “We call it a citizen’s meeting place,” Library CEO Lise Bissonnette said in the April 29 Toronto Globe and Mail. “It brings Montreal to an excellent level in North America with a library worthy of its name.”
Postde May 6, 2005.