New Central Library

Junction East site in Downtown Sudbury

About the New Central Library

We're building a New Central Library in downtown Greater Sudbury.

The New Central Library will be co-located at Junction East with the Art Gallery of Sudbury, and potential future partners the Sudbury Theatre Centre and the Sudbury Multicultural and Folk Arts Association. Junction East will be a new 62,000 square foot building in Greater Sudbury's historic downtown, expected to open in 2024. 

Sign up for updates by joining our mailing list. 

To learn more, check out the project's FAQ. 

For more information on the Junction East project, including the New Central Library, check out the City's webpage.


Your Stories

What makes the Greater Sudbury Public Library so important to our community?

How will the New Central Library at Junction East make our community even better?

Hear the stories of two library members: what they love about what we do, and how they see the New Central Library making Greater Sudbury even better.  


Now, we want to hear YOUR story!

  • What makes the library important to YOU?
  • What gets YOU excited about the New Central Library?
Do you have a story to tell? Record a short video telling us what you love about the library. Share your vision for the New Central Library. We will post the videos on our website and share on our social media channels. Email your video to colleen.burns@greatersudbury.ca.

By sharing your story with us, you can help spread the word about GSPL and the New Central Library.

Statement of Support for Junction East

The Greater Sudbury Public Library Board supports the Junction East project and welcomes library patrons and community members to take part in the Junction East Virtual Open House on July 21.

"The library provides social, health and economic benefits to the entire community of Greater Sudbury," explains Library Board Chair Michael Bellmore. "The New Central Library at Junction East will expand those benefits by expanding our audiences, enhancing accessibility, increasing our circulation of print, digital and 3D items, and supporting more partnerships with organizations that help the community."

The design process for Junction East has involved months of consultation with the architects and designers, partner agency staff and board members, stakeholder organizations and the community.

"It's been great working with WZMH and DPAI," says Library Board Chair Michael Bellmore. "The consultants really listen, and we can see our feedback reflected in the designs they've shared with us. This is our chance to let them know what we want to see in the new library so that it will best serve the needs of the community."
Bellmore hopes past, current and future library patrons will chime in with what they are hoping to see at the new library, both online and at the Open House. "This is the start of a new conversation with our patrons. GSPL is committed to supporting the community, and the best way for us to do that is by learning what the community wants."

The community can view the concept design and share their comments on Over to You (overtoyou.greatersudbury.ca) until July 30.


Mette Kruger, Manager, Libraries and Heritage Resources
Greater Sudbury Public Library, 705-673-1155, extension 4769
mette.kruger@greatersudbury.ca

The New Central Library: a great investment for Greater Sudbury

Greater Sudbury Public Library provides economic, social and health benefits to the community. This series shows how the New Central Library will magnify that impact and bring even more economic benefits to Greater Sudbury.

Photo Gallery: Economic Impact will appear here on the public site.

70 Years of Service

The Mackenzie Library opened in 1952, and will be 70 years old next year.

The library has provided seven decades of service, so it's no surprise that staff and community members love the building and have wonderful memories of reading in the stacks and attending programs.

However, despite renovations and repairs over the years, the building is showing its age. Several reports written since 1993 have concluded that the building needs to be replaced:

Central Library Facility: Introduction, Requirements, Overview and a Shortlist of Alternative Sites, 1993 (PDF, in English only)

The City of Greater Sudbury Main Library, Archives, and Heritage Museum Complex Program Development and Site Selection Parameters (Yallowega, Bélanger Architecture), 2014 (PDF, in English only)

Co-Location Facility and Business Plan (Lord Cultural Industries and Susan Kent), 2017 (PDF, in English only) 

Community Engagement Results Are In!

Between November and April 2021, we conducted a community engagement campaign and asked you to tell us what you imagined for Junction East. Thank you for connecting with us and sharing your ideas.


Meeting and Study Room Survey Results

Thank you to everyone who completed the survey. You are helping us plan the New Central Library so that we can best meet the needs of the community.

What we learned:
  • The most popular room size was the Large Board Room (up to 30 people)
  • The second most popular room size was the Medium Meeting Room (up to 8 people)
  • The least popular room size was the Small Meeting Room (up to 4 people)
What you told us:
  • Despite many groups holding virtual meetings over the past year, most are looking forward to meeting in person once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted
  • The most requested meeting room feature was easy-to-use technology, followed by natural light and good ventilation. Comfortable, flexible furniture was also mentioned.
Chart displaying meeting and study room survey results