VANCOUVER, Wash. – There’s a bright and updated new library space at Westfield Vancouver shopping center called The Mall Library Connection.
The reconfigured library space is in approximately the same location as the former Vancouver Mall Community Library, on the second level of the mall and adjacent to JC Penney. Westfield Vancouver is located at 8700 NE Vancouver Mall Dr.
The new library opened its doors on Monday, March 18. New regular library hours are:
Monday through Thursday – 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday and Saturday – 10a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday – 1 to 6 p.m.
The new facility occupies 3,575 square feet of the former 7,215 square-foot Vancouver Mall Community Library space.
New features include: an innovative layout with a raised section for bookshelves and seating areas; an automated materials handling system (AMH) that automatically checks in returns and is available even when the library is closed; nine Internet-access desktop computers; WiFi and multiple power outlets for patrons with laptops or other devices; a large window wall facing the mall; moveable furnishings that allow the children’s area to be reconfigured for story times and programs; and fresh décor and new furnishings.
The mall library closed Dec. 24, 2012 for the remodeling project, which came about as a result of lease renegotiations with Westfield. The new library space was designed by SHKS Architects of Seattle; general contractor for the project was Team Construction of Vancouver. Total cost of the project was $750,000, which included $150,000 from Westfield plus remaining funds from the 2006 Vancouver Library Capital Facility bond measure.
The new name for the library reflects its unique location as a connector with people who come to the mall from many different areas, in addition to patrons who live in the surrounding neighborhoods. For new residents in the greater Vancouver area, the mall library is often the first connection they have to services provided by Fort Vancouver Regional Library District. Patrons who generally consider other FVRL locations their home libraries often combine shopping trips to Westfield with a chance to drop off books or check email on library computers.
The new library has a staff of eight who are continuing from their previous assignments at Vancouver Mall Community Library, including location manager Barbra Meisenheimer. Phone calls to the new mall library number of (360) 906-5106 are answered by the district’s Telephone Information Services department at the main library.
