Diamond Trail library to formally open — 5 years late
Welland Public Library is finding new ways to be visible in the community and convenient for people to enjoy the services it offers at all three branches.
On May 26, residents are invited to a grand re-opening of the Diamond Trail branch at Diamond Trail Public School on Southworth Street, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The branch opened in 2013 but a formal ceremony was never held.
The celebration will also be a way to raise the profile of the branch.
“A lot of people still don’t know it’s there,” said branch services co-ordinator Heather McPeake at the Seaway Mall branch, which will be celebrating its one-year anniversary on June 27.
Books are flying off the shelves and there has been a steady flow of patrons during mall hours operation, she said.
“The stats, they improve every month — it’s been very busy here. We have a lot of visibility here at the mall — it’s great.”
Many library users have told McPeake they prefer going to the mall over parking in the downtown core to use the main branch at the rear of city hall.
“That’s something that’s been mentioned a lot,” she said.
With the shopping centre being a popular destination for people
from other parts of Niagara, the library has also been able to recruit new cardholders who wander in on breaks from browsing stores.
“It’s nice to have these healthy statistics, that people are coming in to use all our services,” she said.
Library staff are also getting ready for summer programming, which will draw about 400 kids when it starts in July.
Parents can stop by all three branches for more information about registration.
During the academic school year, the Diamond Trail branch is open 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.