The Parkland Regional Library is looking forward to a new, updated headquarters that is already under construction in the southeast corner of Lacombe. 

PRL has been operating out of the existing facility at 5404 56th Ave for 60 years, and Parkland Regional Director Ron Sheppard said the building is simply no longer suited to their needs. 

"The building we’ve got now is for a different time. It was before automation, they still had massive card catalogs for managing things like inter-library loan throughout the region. There were a lot of processes that were much more manual than they are now - it was before computers, and before automation," Sheppard explained. 

"Again, even though libraries do much of the same things that they used to, there have been a whole host of new things that libraries do and so we have to adapt to be able to do those things to assist our libraries." 

When faced with the option of renovating or building a new one, Sheppard said it was far cheaper for them to build a new building.

He said the current facility is one building built on top of another, and with this design, there have been numerous structural components that have had to be "hodge-podged" together, such as updated electrical pieces and network cable capability. 

Sheppard added that the current space does not have enough offices for their staff, and they are hoping for a more streamlined and efficient facility, explaining that the high ceilings and open spaces are costly to heat and cool. 

"It's just overall a much, much more practical, newer and fresher building we'll be moving into. Construction is well underway, and we have to be moved in by the end of October this year," he said. 

Another exciting note for PRL is that they will not incur almost any debt through the construction of a new building, as the current facility will be purchased by the City of Lacombe and the Government of Alberta provided a $2.4 million capital grant for the new building. 

Construction has begun on a new head office in the Iron Wolf Crossing subdivision in the south end of the City of Lacombe.

"The Parkland Regional Library System is really a library for libraries," explains Donna Williams, Manager of Finance and Operations at PRL. "We offer support, material, training, resources, and IT network support to 49 public libraries serving 64 municipalities throughout Central Alberta, including the Mary C. Moore Public Library in Lacombe."

The new building will incorporate many new features that will enable Parkland to offer state of the art services to support public libraries in the 21st century.

The transition to the new building is expected by Fall 2020.

A proposal of the new facility by Tricon Development. Not a final rendering.