A handful of residents turned out for a community meeting to discuss the fate of the Millgrove library last week at the Millgrove Community Centre.

Led by the Chair of the Hamilton Public Library Board, George Geczy, the session was held to inform residents of the board's decision to close the branch following new building and accessibility requirements stipulated in recent changes to the Ontario legislature.

In 2003, the province enacted the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which aims to provide accessibility for residents living with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises on or before January 1, 2025, by developing, implementing, and enforcing accessibility standards. The Act, according to Geczy, creates a number of issues that will affect many of the libraries across the region.

Following a review of library branches within the Hamilton area that examined the physical condition of the facilities, and taking into account the branch's circulation and usage, it was determined that the Millgrove branch is "a tired facility with multiple problems from water quality to septic issues, to accessibility issues."

"New building construction does not seem to be a viable option," said Geczy, adding that the branch services only a small population base and is lightly used.

The Library Board made the decision to close the existing Waterdown branch as well as the Millgrove library following the construction of a larger facility in Waterdown that will service both communities.

The closure, according to Geczy, will benefit both communities, as enhanced services could then be offered to library users in both areas. Although a site for the new Waterdown branch has not yet been determined, the Library Board is taking into consideration the distance between Millgrove and the new facility.

"Most of the locations we are looking at are in fact west of the existing (Waterdown) branch," said Geczy. "Some of them (potential locations), in fact, one location, was as far west as Hwy. 6."

The total budget for the project is $4 million. Library board officials would like to see the structure built up to roughly 20,000 square feet. The larger space would allow for more resources, such as a computer laboratory equipped with high speed Internet. The new library would also offer extended hours that would better accommodate both communities.

The Hamilton Public Library (HPL) as already planned to close the Rockton and Lynden branches and replace them with a single, larger branch located in Lynden. The site for the Lynden library was approved and purchased in December.

The board is looking at the HPL's mobile library as a way to service Millgrove, said Geczy.

A resident at the meeting was concerned that the mobile service would offer only a limited opportunity to access the library. Geczy responded that the Library Board, as well as Book Mobile staff, would monitor the usage of the service on a regular basis to determine the weekly Book Mobile's schedule for the area.

"We obviously don't want to see the Book Mobile pulling away with people running behind it," he laughed. "Cleary, usage and those patterns are used to adjust the hours when it (the Book Mobile) shows up."

According to Geczy, residents can access the HPL's holdings online and order books to be delivered by the mobile service. The Book Mobile also carries an array of materials that can be altered based on the needs of the community.

The Book Mobile's clients are enormously loyal, noted Ken Roberts, Chief Librarian of the Hamilton Public Library.

Although the Library Board is currently focused on finding a suitable location for the new Waterdown library branch, Geczy assured residents that the board is taking into consideration all the different options at their disposal to better service the both communities.