Following a process of reflection and analysis on the current model of the Armand-Frappier Library, the Cégep de Valleyfield and the City of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield are seeing new perspectives for this cultural venue. Through an approach that began over a year ago, the two organizations are seeing a need for expansion, in a context of student and demographic growth.
A desire to improve the overall service offering for the Cégep
Let us recall that this reading and study space was born from a partnership between the City of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and the Cégep de Valleyfield, nearly 30 years ago. Unique in Quebec, this place has been able to meet the needs of the college and municipal communities for several years. However, following the work and consultations conducted by an institutional committee of the Cégep, which conducted surveys and comparative studies with other libraries in the college network, the conclusions demonstrate the importance of modernizing the premises, the available spaces, as well as the collections of books and works.
An important change ahead for users
The significant lack of short and medium term spaces within the Cégep to accommodate a growing student population over the coming years, as well as insufficient meeting and study places, justify the decision not to renew the protocol. The agreement will expire in 2027. In this context, the Cégep management presented the results of its conclusions to internal authorities, including the studies committee and the board of directors. Finally, the discussions ended with the members of the board of directors of the Corporation de la Bibliothèque Armand-Frappier, where there are representatives of the Cégep and the City who manage the memorandum of understanding.
“We would first like to thank the working committee that made it possible to make various important observations in order to obtain a complete picture of the situation and to determine the first two guidelines for the service offering of our future library,” said Marc Rémillard, Director General of Cégep de Valleyfield. “Of course, we still have many steps to take in our project, which will be very enriching and stimulating for our college community. Certainly, the Cégep and the City share a common goal, which is to equip themselves with better facilities, in a context of changing population and needs. We will do everything in our power, in the coming months, to ensure, with our partner and the teams in place, a harmonious transition.”
A new era is emerging for municipal infrastructure
The City of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, for its part, awarded a professional services mandate to complete a diagnostic analysis of the library and its service points. This analysis, currently in progress, will make it possible to concretely identify the current and future needs of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield to offer the growing population a quality library service in an attractive, stimulating space with documentary resources. rich and diversified and therefore meeting the needs of the City and its citizens. Different location scenarios will be evaluated in this regard.
“Thinking about the future of the Armand-Frappier Library allows us to see promising opportunities for our city and our population,” says Miguel Lemieux, mayor of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield. We are committed to meeting the growing cultural and educational needs of our community with modernized facilities. We will work over the coming months to establish this vision of this important new cultural hub. »
On both sides, it is still too early to conclude on the models chosen; in all cases, these are very promising major projects which will highlight a new offering of knowledge and culture. Until then, the City of Salaberry-de-Valleyfield and the Cégep de Valleyfield will work together to continue their collaboration and maintain essential services to their respective clienteles. Further information may be shared in due course.
