Grande Bibliothèque-BAnQ, Montréal, Québec, Canada

A recent visit to Montréal would not have been complete without a visit to their local library! The library we visited was just as beautiful as its city. The Grande Bibliothèque is a large (Six floors!) modern glass building that also serves as a national archive. Leading up to the building, there were interactive public structures where visitors can engage with. We admired the wooden structure especially because it was a spot where people can sit or lay down and fully relax.

As we were walking into the library, we couldn’t help but notice how grand the walkway was! This area housed the return box where visitors can watch an automatic materials handler at work. Unfortunately, it was not working on the day of our visit, there was a library worker stationed in front taking returns. There was also a large shop and book sale across from the library’s main floor. This is where we saw new materials, periodicals, large print collections, and help service desks. Lastly, there were lockers available for patron use.

The additional floors were themed to specific topics, but seemed to follow the same set up. A help desk stationed as we were entering the floor, public computers situated in a corner, stacks of materials surrounding the stairs, and work spaces dotting the edges of the floor. The floors we particularly enjoyed were the ones that housed the makerspace, graphic novels, and the instruments. The makerspace was so impressive! It was a massive space with a variety of tools to work on a variety of projects with library workers on hand to assist. There was a study area that felt academic in particular. It was laid out like stairs that led from the second level to the third.  

We rode the glass elevator from the top floor to the bottom to visit the children’s area before leaving. The area was colorful! There was fun seating, tables, a program room, reading nooks, and technology stations where children and their caretakers can read or play. There were plenty of materials to browse through, but it seemed that the interactive sections of this floor were more sought after.

Before we visited, we had learned that not only was this the largest library in Québec, it was also the busiest. Upon conclusion of this visit, that is evident! The individual collections were large and there was a significant effort in providing services for all. The structure outside and the lockers were just a couple of the resources we noticed that provided assistance to unsheltered patrons. The Grande Bibliothèque is an aesthetically modern library that serves modern day needs.