Renaming the Children’s Library

If you’ve been to the Stanley A. Milner branch (Downtown) of the Edmonton Public Library, you have passed by the super-cute, brightly coloured children’s wing that is also housed within the building. It’s just to the left of the main entrance.

Recently I noticed they’ve kicked things up a notch, with an aquarium. And…is that a boat?!

So, when we received word from the Edmonton Public Library (EPL) announcing they were having a sweet library event, officially naming the children’s library, we were all over that!

EXCEPT…SNOWMAGGEDON!

Yes, that blast of winter got in our way, and we missed the news conference. We know this, since a parade of snowsuit-clad kids leaving the library greeted us.

But when life hands you snowy lemons you contact a well-connected person for some thoughts on the subject.

As these computers prove, the library is more than books.

Of course, we turned to man-about-town Jerry Aulenbach. He also just happens to be the current Mayor of the Stanley A. Milner Library on mobile game foursquare.

So we asked Jerry about naming the kid’s wing of the downtown branch the “Shelley Milner Children’s Library,” named for the late daughter of the main library’s namesake (Stanley A. Milner).

“Often, when buildings, and the like, are named after people, you don’t get to find out why, or who they were,” Jerry said.

“It’s kind of nice to know that Shelley had a love of literature, which I found out from my friend (and her cousin) Joe Milner.”

“I know that the Milner family has been investing major dollars into the library [$500,000 for this expansion], as well as other organizations, such as the U of A School of Business.

Jerry, being foursquare mayor, said an official name means the children’s library should be its own venue in the game.

I want a reading boat!

“Already added it to foursquare,” he said. “Next trip there, and I’m mayor, baby!”

(Isn’t it nice to see people excited about a library?)

The new children’s library expansion comes after a half-million dollar donation from the Milners. It adds more space for kids, and books, new computers, and provides ongoing programming and services.

Plus there IS a boat, and aquarium, a few of both which also go into other EPL branches.