I assure you, we're open: A.C. Hunter Public Library welcomes guests despite closure of main entrance

People using the library in the Arts and Culture Centre in St. John's are being forced to use alternate entrances due to an unsafe staircase in front of the building — and some patrons have been staying away altogether because they think the library is closed. 

The main steps and entrance to the A.C. Hunter Public Library have been closed while the province conducts an inspection on the aging infrastructure of the building.

Emma Craig, the St. John's regional librarian for Newfoundland and Labrador Public Libraries, said the call to close the entrance came from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure.

"As far as we know, the inspection is still ongoing as they try to sort out what the issue is," Craig told CBC News in an interview last week.

"We definitely hear complaints about the fact that the entrance has been closed. People [are] wondering about when it's going to be reopened." 

The entrance first closed in September, Craig said, and many patrons assumed it was for a renovation. Now in November, nothing has changed.

And while confusion about the entrance persists, Craig said some patrons have wrongly assumed the library is outright closed.

"We're still conducting business as usual with our programs and circulation, and we just want to make sure that our patrons are aware of that," she said.

WATCH | The A.C. Hunter Pulice Library is still open: 

The library is open — really! But the closed stairs are causing confusion

19 days ago

Duration 2:12

The A.C. Hunter Public Library wants people in St. John’s to know that it’s open and accessible, despite how the entrance looks. The main staircase is under repair but there’s plenty of signs directing folks to other entrances. Still, librarians say people are judging this book by its cover and assuming the library is closed.

Visitors can enter through the accessible north entrance of the Arts and Culture Centre. They can also enter through the box office entrance when the box office is open.

There's still an entrance in the front, Craig said, for visitors who need additional accessibility help for getting inside the library. 

"We have been keeping stats since the original closure of the entrance way and we have seen reports that our circulation numbers are down. We've had confusion when people are trying to attend programs," said Craig. 

"Even when our partners for different programs try to come into the space, it has defiantly caused a drop in attendance to different aspects of how the library is used."

The provincial government says inspection work is ongoing and a consultant has been hired to look into the infrastructure issue.

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