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Downtown Library? No Regrets


 

Tonight the County Council will be hearing testimony on moving forward with the Downtown Library. What can I say that I haven’t already said?

I have been struggling mightily with this for weeks. 

In a last-ditch effort, I went to Bluesky looking for inspiration. I searched the words “Downtown Library.” Here is a small portion of what I found.















Other Downtown Library posts referenced community food pantries, workshops encouraging civic involvement, classes for children, presentations on legal issues, craft fairs, dinosaur displays, local history, access to computers, public restrooms, biking, public transit, workplace topics, human connection.

Then I tried a little experiment. I searched the words “Downtown Library Regret.” 

Nothing. Well, just about nothing. As I recall someone was deeply regretful about that second order of fries they ate before going to the Downtown Library.

I tried it on Google, too. Very little Downtown Library regret.*

There are two very important reasons to move forward with the new Downtown Library. The first is that it is a commitment our made by our community as a part of the Downtown Plan. This commitment, agreed upon with all parties involved in the plan, was what we wanted. It was our choice.

The second is equally important. I’m going to quote Druh Farrell, former Councillor for Ward Seven in Calgary, Alberta. (I discovered her in my Bluesky search.) In speaking of community investment - -  such as a new Calgary Downtown Library - -  she says: 

Use the well-being of future generations as a guide.

True Downtown Library Regret would look like this:

If we don’t keep our commitment to a new Downtown Library, we *will* regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of our lives.**

Libraries are not an unknown quantity. The better they are, the more good they do. And not just in one physical space but also reaching far outside the library walls into the community. We know their value. Now we need to take action on the commitment we made and use the wellbeing of future generations as our guide. 




*BYDHTTMWFI

**With apologies to Rick Blaine 








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  1. Julia A. McCreadyNovember 19, 2025 at 5:13 AM

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