Libraries through the lens Bibliothèque de Drummondville, Québec, Canada


THIS edition of Libraries through the lens is a relatively recent li- brary, as photographer and librar- ian Thomas Guignard takes us to Bibliothèque de Drummondville in Québec.


His visit to the library came earlier this year, as he explains: “This spring, I was invited to join a class of library technicians on a tour of recent libraries to showcase current trends in space and services planning, and to celebrate their graduation.


“One stop on our tour was the public library of the city of Drummondville,


June 2023


halfway between Montreal and Québec City. A former garrison town for British soldiers defending Upper Canada during the war of 1812, Drummondville rose to prominence when the river that traverses the town was harnessed in the 1920s to power a nascent steel industry. One of the byproducts of steel production is a type of pale blue, milky slag that was so abundant it was used as fill material for roads.”


Thomas adds that the town’s industrial history fed into the design process for Drumondville’s library, saying: “When designing the new library, opened in


2017, the architecture firm Chevalier Morales drew inspiration from Drum- mondville’s industrial history, deriving its curving shapes from the blades of hydroelectric turbines and the colour of its walls from the once omnipresent smelting byproduct.


“The rounded corners of the building are also reminiscent of ice hockey rinks, of which the town boasts the largest number per inhabitant in the province. One such rink is indeed immediately ad- jacent to the library, turning its reading room into a prime viewing spot for games in the winter!”


INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL 7


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