NEWS DEC 22, 2022 – 10:30 AM EST
Iqaluit’s library to reopen in the new year
Building closed for several months due to staffing issues, maintenance
By Nunatsiaq News
Book lovers in Iqaluit will be getting a late Christmas present when the city’s library reopens Jan. 9.
Iqaluit Centennial Library closed in September due to “operational issues” and maintenance, according to a news release from the Department of Heritage and Culture at the time.
It indicated the library was expected to reopen Oct. 12. However, on Oct. 18 the department announced another closure at the library, this time due to unexpected staffing issues.
Several programs have continued despite the building closure, including Friends of the Library Storytime, the young offenders’ library visits, and women’s correctional centre visits.
Members of the Iqaluit community and local leaders have been vocal about the importance of the library and keeping its doors open to the community, said Lewis Falkiner MacKay, a spokesperson for the Department of Culture and Heritage, in an email to Nunatsiaq News.
“The department is working to ensure redundancies are in place to prevent any future extended closures,” he said.
Although the library itself will remain closed until January, free Wi-Fi continues to be made available to patrons using the network “ICL_Patron” and password “iclpatron.”
