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New hi-tech public library branch set to open in Fort York with 3D printers, DJ equipment

| | Last Updated: Jan 25 12:17 AM ET
More from Alex Jivov | @Ajivov

The exterior of the new Fort York Library branch, which is set to open on May 28, 2014 in Toronto.

Opening this Thursday at 190 Fort York Boulevard, Toronto’s 99th Public Library Branch will contain unique features such as 3D printers, digital innovation hubs, and DJing equipment, all available for public consumption.

The 16,000 square foot glass structure will contain 35,000 books at opening. A computer centre will allow visitors to access the entirety of the Toronto Public Library’s electronic catalogue, totaling over ten million e-books, movies, magazines, and music albums.

Five full time staffers will provide assistance to those wishing to navigate and use the new facilities.

Designed by KPMB Architects, the Fort York Branch has partnered with developer Context Development to create a community built around the new library. “Everyone can agree libraries are wonderful things to have,” said Toronto Public Library Board Chairman Michael Foderick. “They have been and will continue to be a cornerstone for every successful community in this city. We’re just laying a new cornerstone right here in Fort York.”

The partnership has allowed the library’s $9.1 million cost to be completely funded without any cost to the taxpayer, according to Foderick.

Tyler Anderson/National Post

The library’s inclusion will be used as a major selling point for the condominiums when they are completed later this year.

Built with a modern feel in mind, the Fort York Public Library has surrounding views of the Bathurst, Lakeshore, and the Fort York areas. It will emphasize communal spaces that encourage group study.

Large, open areas on the first floor, referred to as “urban living rooms” will contain projectors for watching television or streaming media from other parts of the library.

Tyler Anderson/National Post

Two large “pod” rooms, set in the middle of the library’s second floor, will utilize moveable screens for private studying and multimedia presentations. A program room capable of seating fifty will be used for larger gatherings and private events.

Books will be split into individual adult, teen, and children’s sections throughout the library.

An open terrace, equipped with Wi-Fi, will connect the building to the Library District Condominiums, a 29-storey development that will, together with the Fort York Branch, make up Fort York’s new “Library District.”

Tyler Anderson/National Post

The most prominent feature of the library is the inclusion of two “digital innovation hubs” which will provide access to specialized technology studios. The first will be equipped with film and computer graphics equipment, such as green screens, sound recorders, and digital cameras.

The second hub will focus on emerging technologies and will hold DJing equipment as well as a 3D printer. Available for public use, the only requirement to access the hubs is a forty-minute certification course run by library staff.

There will be a two-hour printing limit on any designs inputted into the printer. Previously, the Toronto Reference Library was the only branch that contained a digital innovation hub.

Tyler Anderson/National Post

“Nothing that is being done now is preventing the library from opening,” said Anne Bailey, Director of Toronto’s Branch Libraries. “The community wanted the library open, and the only thing left under construction is purely cosmetic.”

A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Fort York Branch will begin Thursday morning at 10am. A reception with refreshments, a tour of the new branch, and a demonstration of the new digital innovation hubs will begin at 5pm and last until 7pm.

National Post

Tyler Anderson/National Post

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