June 15, 1967: New downtown library opens as monument to Canada’s centennial year
The seven-floor Centennial Library — renamed in 1996 as the Stanley A. Milner Library — opened for business as Edmonton’s monument to Canada’s 100th birthday celebration.
Morton Coburn, director of libraries, seemed pleased with the way the move was being accomplished from the old Carnegie-funded library on Macdonald Drive.
That original library is on the site now occupied by Telus Plaza.
“There’s no major crisis; we’re just resolving a number of smaller problems during the move,” said Coburn, a graduate of the University of Illinois in library science.
He estimated 55 per cent of the books were already on shelves in the new library. “We’ll have around 173,000 volumes when the move is completed.”
Comments from the first patrons through the doors ranged from “I’ve never seen a place for books this big” to “Gee, sure is plush. Smells just like the inside of a new car.”
One of the 134 employees of the $3.7-million building admitted she was “as confused as anyone else, but I guess it takes a while to get used to a building of this size.”
The library featured 10 closed-circuit television cameras, computerized filing systems and escalators.
The children’s library, still located in the old building, was moved to the new building within days.
The new library was built on the former site of Market Square, the city’s main square and home of the city market from 1900 to 1965.