A number of visitors to the new central library in East Village say they were frustrated by oversights they encountered during their trip that hindered the experience.
The design of award winning building, which opened earlier this month and has attracted more than 120,000 guests, presents challenges to people with mobility issues. Elaine Lee, who utilizes a wheelchair, says several buttons for elevators and intercom call buttons have been placed where it is impossible for her to reach and the entrance door sensor is difficult to activate as it does not detect her small hands.
“For something so beautiful, that has already won awards, the functionality is not there,” explained Lee as she demonstrated to CTV the barriers she encounters within the library.
The building is equipped with ramps and all four floors are accessible by elevator but Lee says the library’s layout is difficult to navigate from her vantage point. “If you can’t see the library nearby, you’re wandering the entire floor just to get to an elevator.”
Lee says people with mobility issues would have benefited from a library’s design that was situated at an LRT station or connected to the Plus 15 network.
Sarah Meilleur, the library’s director of service delivery says the building was designed to be inclusive. “A lot of thought went into the design of this building from an accessibility perspective.”
Meilleur says the Calgary Public Library is committed to improving the visitor experience and welcomes feedback. “We really want this to be a welcoming space for everyone. As we hear from the community about challenges, we’re working to adjust what we can immediately. Then we’re also working with our project partners, our construction partners and our project managers to see what we can do beyond that.”
Anyone wishing to provide feedback or suggestions is encouraged to contact the Calgary Public Library
With files from CTV’s Kathy Le
