Moving library entrance not the solution, official says

A suggestion by the mayor to move the main entrance of the Stanley Milner Library from 102nd Avenue to the building's south side was rejected Tuesday by Edmonton Public Library CEO, Linda Cook.

Widening the sidewalk, moving a bus stop and bus shelter is a better way to prevent violence in front of the library, Cook told reporters at a news conference.

"We feel then that we won't have as much congestion. There won't be crowds or groups of people standing and waiting and congregating."

The idea of moving the entrance was first raised last week by Mayor Stephen Mandel after a 14-year-old girl was stabbed outside the library. Another daylight stabbing at the library on April 9 sent a 30-year-old man to hospital.

But Cook said relocating the entrance would cut the library off from the rest of the area.

"We are one, if not the most visited public facility in this city and we just don't feel we should turn our backs on the civic centre," she said.  "We should be an integral part of the civic centre."

Cook also worries people may start avoiding the downtown library because of safety concerns.

Last year, there were 1.4 million visits to the library, up 20 percent from the year before.

Disturbances like noise and intoxication inside the building have decreased by half in the last year and 78 per cent in the last quarter, officials said.